Written by Carol P. Bartold

Dec. 3, 2014: Bronxville voters will return to the polls on Tuesday, December 9, to elect a new member of the Eastchester Board of Fire Commissioners. Brian Keating of Eastchester and Anthony Lore, Sr., of Tuckahoe have filed petitions to run for commissioner. The winner will serve a five-year term on the board.

The Eastchester Board of Fire Commissioners, an autonomous board with full power to levy taxes, will administer a $17.3 million budget for 2015.

Brian Keating: Candidate Brian Keating, who comes from a family of firefighters, stated that his impetus in filing a petition to run for election comes from his appreciation of the professional direction he has seen the board establish over the past few years. A litigation manager with over 25 years of experience, Keating works at the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. He believes budget management and the dissemination of good information are vital to maintaining an effective, healthy fire department.

"I want to know the budget is being managed," Keating said. "I want to know that our fire department is running, and running well enough to support the town if there is an emergency. I have all the respect in the world for firefighters. The firefighters in Eastchester are top-notch and I want to know that we have state-of-the-art equipment and support."

Keating, with a degree in American history and a minor concentration in English literature, feels that the combination of his education, legal background, and managerial experience would bring value to the Eastchester Fire Board of Commissioners.

Anthony Lore, Sr.: A lifelong resident of Tuckahoe, Anthony Lore, Sr., has been a member of the Tuckahoe Hose Company for 41 years. A veteran of the United States Air Force, Lore served for a year in Vietnam. As a member of the Army National Guard for 20 years, he was deployed to the World Trade Center after the September 11, 2001, disaster.

"I've been very active with the fire department and the board of fire commissioners for over ten years," Lore said. "From talk I've heard, the board is considering closing down the Hill Street fire house and I'm totally against that."

Lore also stated that he would like to see more board support of the volunteer firefighters because "nothing has really been done for them."

A 37-year employee of the Scarsdale Board of Education, Lore was named Man of the Year by the Tuckahoe-Eastchester Lions Club in May of this year. He is also an active member of the VFW Post 2285 and the American Legion post, both in Eastchester.

Plagued by perennially low turnout for its annual election in December, the board sought to boost voter participation by changing the election date to coincide with the November general election. From 2008 to 2013, voter turnout ranged from a high of 1,453 total votes cast in 2011 to a low of 675 total votes cast in 2010. Over that same period, the highest Bronxville participation in the election brought in 300 votes in 2012 and the lowest turnout in 2010 brought in 171 votes.

During the 2013 legislative session, State Senator George Latimer and Assemblywoman Amy Paulin actively supported a bill authorizing a change in the election date. Fire Commissioner Jerry Napolitano reported that, although Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the bill, the Westchester County Board of Elections would not authorize the change.

Bronxville residents can vote at Bronxville Village Hall, 200 Pondfield Road, on December 9 from 2:00 pm until 9:00 pm.

Pictured here: The Bronxville fire house.

Photo by N. Bower