New Castle Fire Commissioners Vote Attracts Write-in Candidate

Leftover skepticism sparked by the failed New Castle Fire District No. 1 firehouse expansion referendum has prompted a district resident to announce her write-in candidacy for one of two seats in Tuesday’s Board of Commissioners elections.

Danna Goldman Schoenberg announced last Wednesday via social media that she would be challenging current commissioner Nancy Zezze for the unexpired three-year term for the seat that had been held by Gerry Golub. Zezze was appointed earlier to fill the seat earlier this year after Golub’s death.

Former town councilman John Buckley was the only candidate to submit a petition for the seat carrying the full five-year term. Commissioner Christopher Weddle’s term is expiring and he is not seeking re-election.

Voting will take place Tuesday, Dec. 13 at the firehouse at 495 King St. from 2 to 9 p.m.

Danna Schoenberg

Schoenberg said she decided to jump into the race last week after one of two residents who took a petition but declined to submit it claimed to be threatened if they ran. Therefore, the race for both seats would have been uncontested.

For Schoenberg, her discontent at the decision to go out for a $15.3 million referendum in October and how the vote was handled, including the chaotic three-hour window for voting, sparked her interest in holding the commissioners more accountable.

“I want to see changes actually implemented and I would like the town to be more involved and more aware of what is going on,” Schoenberg said.

Greater transparency and improving communication to keep the public informed on fire district issues is crucial, she said. Schoenberg, who is also a proponent of absentee ballots for all district votes, said she found out about the firehouse referendum through an item that was posted on both Chappaqua Moms and New Castle Community Discussions. The commissioners rejected absentee ballots for this election.

The minimum requirements of publishing a legal notice is inadequate today as an increasing number of people communicate via social media and other electronic platforms, she said.

“We were upset because while the board (of commissioners) did everything it legally was supposed to do as far as putting out notice of what they were doing, they didn’t do what was going to work to notify people,” Schoenberg said. “In my experience, putting a legal notice in a newspaper is no longer a good option.”

Nancy Zezze

Zezze, the incumbent for the three-year term, has a long history in the community and with volunteer emergency services. The fire district’s secretary for 21 years, she is an EMT who is currently a member of the Pleasantville Volunteer Ambulance Corps.

Zezze also said her professional background in finance would serve the district and residents well. She is senior analyst for the state Office of Court Administration assigned to the Office of the Administrative Judge in the Ninth Judicial District and oversees the financial operations of 36 courts and agencies within the judicial district.

“I’m an EMT and I just love being involved with emergency services on different levels for such a long time,” she said. “I really enjoy doing it and I feel I have a lot to offer.”

While there has been criticism of the commissioners’ efforts to communicate with the public, Zezze said in the 11 months she’s been on the board it has improved. She implemented a district website and Facebook page to help communicate with the public. Zezze also supports investing in an electronic sign outside the firehouse at the heavily traveled intersection of routes 117 and 120 to flash district events and items of interest.

She said the biggest challenge facing the fire district is the fiscal limitations to continue to bring top-notch fire protection to the district.

Zezze said she supports the district holding a referendum in 2017 to purchase the former Chappaqua Animal Hospital parcel adjacent to the firehouse. Although expansion of the current facility is not on the horizon, the commissioners shouldn’t pass up the opportunity to acquire the land.

The first proposition on the October ballot asked the public for more than $2.6 million for the purchase of that property, demolition of the current structure and mitigation for the contaminants.

“It’s such a unique piece (of property),” Zezze said. “It’s right there. It’s a location that we need to get because the cost of moving that building for future needs, etc., is going to be astronomical.”

There are also smaller steps the board should take to make the current firehouse ADA compliant, she said.

John Buckley

Buckley returns to an elected position after serving on the New Castle Town Board from 2003 to 2013.

He said his two sons, both of whom are volunteer firefighters, urged him to get involved after problems surfaced surrounding the firehouse vote.

“There’s a boatload of things to do and I believe I can make a difference by trying to reach out to make things better for the residents,” Buckley said.

He mentioned that he has the expertise from his time in town government to operate the fire district more efficiently, saying he would push for the board to take a full inventory of its equipment and assets to get a clearer picture of its position.

Buckley called on the fire district to have a short- and long-term plan and the residents should be informed on how those plans are progressing.

Buckley said he questions why the fire district is currently holding on to several properties that could help offset the expense of improving its facilities. For example, the Senter Street firehouse should not be used as a garage for antique vehicles.

Wounds opened during the run-up to the Oct. 25 vote, need to be addressed by being more transparent.

“What they were doing, I’m not in agreement in any way, shape or form,” Buckley said. “Going forward, we have to overhaul the way they are doing business.”

He said the board can regain the public’s confidence by having stronger public outreach.

“I really want to sit down and talk to people and really want to make sure that we’re following all the right rules, all the right guidelines,” Buckley said. “Everything with transparency is critical to making sure that the residents and (department) members can realize the fire district is doing the right thing.”