For the first time in years, all three seats up for election on the East County Fire & Rescue Board of Commissioners are being challenged in the Nov. 8 General Election.
The three incumbents with more than 50 years of history on the commission between them are hoping to retain their seats against as the run against three men with a total of nearly 90 years of career fire fighting and on-the-job emergency services experience.
Unfortunately, some of the rhetoric in these particular races has turned ugly. The most notable illustration is a website created and managed by ECFR volunteers in support of the incumbents, which in part appears to serve as a channel to spread rumors about the perceived intentions of those challenging the incumbents, without presenting real facts to back the accusations up.
But putting all of the political game playing aside, when making a decision about who to vote for in these ECFR races citizens should take a close look at the experience of the candidates, what shape the district is in currently, and how the candidates say they plan to address critical issues. Taking these factors into account, the Post-Record recommends Gary Larson, Jack Hoober and John Clancy for re-election to the ECFR Commission.
Larson, Hoober and Clancy, who have served on the ECFR Commission for 32, 12, and 7 years, respectively, have guided the district well. This includes a successful merger of Clark County Fire Districts 1 and 9 in 2006, which created ECFR.