Four to contest most competitive fire election in recent memory
Geddes, Long joined by task force members in run
Election takes place Nov. 6
By Oakley Brooks
In 10 years as a Saratoga Fire Commissioner, Jay Geddes has never lost an election. Then again, in his two elections, nobody has ever bothered to run against him. And in 1990, when Geddes first grabbed a seat on the three-member fire commission--which runs the Saratoga Fire District--he didn't even have to file election papers; he was appointed by the other two commissioners.
Until the May resignation of 31-year veteran Fire Commissioner Henry Clarke, Geddes was the short-termer among three fire commissioners, his history just a snapshot of the static world of the fire district.
Times appear to be quickly changing.
A small but vocal group of local firefighters and citizens, unhappy with the commission's management of the district, have made themselves a political presence in the city and a thorn in the district's side over the last year.
And in mid-August, two members of that group--the Firefighters and Citizens Task Force--joined the race for two fire district seats opening this year. Each commissioner serves a four-year term.
Everyone close to the race anticipates a heated campaign running up to the Nov. 6 election. And it might continue to shake up the small, 78-year-old fire district.
"The fire district is suddenly the hottest ticket in town," said Geddes recently.
Geddes will vie with task force chairman Dave Dolloff and member Barry Ford, and former Saratoga volunteer fireman Joe Long to represent some 20,000 Saratogans who live within what is formally known as the Saratoga Fire Protection District.
Long submitted his name to the fire commission in May, hoping to be appointed as a replacement for the resigning Henry Clarke. The commission passed on Long in favor of Saratoga Public Safety Commissioner Hugh Hexamer.
But Hexamer will not seek re-election, citing personal reasons. The remaining fire commissioner, chairman Bob Egan, is not up for reelection until 2003.
But even Egan's position stands to change if Ford and Dolloff, who are campaigning on the same platform, win the open district seats. The chairperson is elected by the three sitting fire commissioners, and the task force members have made it clear they aim to change the way the district conducts business.
"With the fire commissioners and chief, we don't see eye to eye," said Ford, who served for 28 years as a San Jose city firefighter.
With the future character of the district at stake, Egan said he will be out pounding the campaign trail with Hexamer to support Geddes and Long. Egan himself has only faced one competitive race in two decades as a fire commissioner.
"I've been involved too long to let [task force members] bring the district down," said Egan.
While the local chapter of the International Association of Firefighters has not officially endorsed any candidates, Ford and Dolloff claim their election is the key to restoring morale among some disgruntled firefighters at the Saratoga station.
"If we don't get both seats, we're going to start losing firefighters," said Dolloff.
Both sides agree that the future of a proposed 13,000-square-foot fire station hinges on the outcome of the election. Present district officials say they believe the station must be built quickly, citing voter approval of construction money last spring. Long says he would like to get moving on the station as soon as possible.
But in a recent platform document, Ford and Dolloff say that, while they want a new station, current plans are for "the wrong building, in the wrong place."
Ford and Dolloff propose building a new station within the framework of a new public service center in the Village.
The two also suggest bringing the fire district under the umbrella of the city government, rather than keeping it as an independent district.
And they say they would make the business of the district more open to firefighters and the public.
"It's not a war," said Ford. "They should be aboveboard about what they are doing."
Dolloff said last week that he and Ford had raised $3,000 toward their campaign, but he would not disclose how they would spend their money.
Long said he had not begun fundraising.
Geddes has not yet raised any money either and said he's still formulating strategy. "It's going to be a mess, and unfortunately messy things cost money," Geddes said.
Saratoga, California Since 1955
