CCB MEDIA PHOTOS
Candidates for two seats on the Hyannis Fire District gather for a forum. From left, Demetrius Atsalis, Victor Skende, Laura Cronin and Chris Kehoe are running for election. Bob Ciolek, center, was acting as moderator.
HYANNIS – Transparency is the theme among four candidates running for two open seats on the Hyannis Fire District board of fire commissioners and the two candidates running for moderator in the district.
A candidates forum for the Hyannis Fire District held last week brought out a full room of fire district voters, including the three men who are retiring from the seats.
The fire district held three votes last year seeking approval for a new fire station but failed to gain the necessary two-thirds majority to move the project forward. That has led to calls for new leadership in the district.
The station proposal before voters called for a station that would cost approximately $22 million with $3 million for design already approved by voters. District leaders said the sale of two district-owned parcels is likely to reduce the cost by another couple million dollars.
Demetrius Atsalis, Laura Cronin, Christopher Kehoe and Victor Skende are running for two open seats for three-year terms on the fire commission.
Skende said he has been following with interest the issue of the new fire station and decided to run as a way to bring some leadership to the issue.
“Most folks seem to agree we need a new station,” he said.
Victor Skende
A graduate of Barnstable High School and Harvard College, Skende said it is his first time running for public office. After a career in social services and mental health, he has retired to his childhood home on School Street in Hyannis.
He said his priorities would be ensuring the health and safety of fire department staff by repairing any issues in the fire station and “restoring the confidence” of the voters. He said the role of the fire commissioners is to provide leadership.
Skende said the fire station headquarters are more than 50 years old and it is past time for a new station. He said it is important that the new building is not larger than necessary but meets the needs of the fire department staff.
“We need value for our tax dollars,” he said.
He said getting the new station approved would be a priority. “We need to reassess the needs. We need to reassess what we can afford, but let’s get on with it,” Skende said.
Cronin, a resident of Hyannis for 17 years, said her career has been in business and finance. She works as a comptroller at Cape Cod Potato Chips. She serves locally as the chairwoman of the Barnstable Comprehensive Financial Advisory Committee.
Laura Cronin
Cronin said her priorities would be fixing repairs on the current fire station, developing a plan for a new facility and “rebuilding the trust with the community and the department.”
As an example of her leadership, she pointed to her involvement in the Voices of the Village forum, a grassroots effort to make positive change for the neighborhoods of Hyannis. She led a committee that brought five ordinance changes to the attention of town council and all of the changes were passed, she said.
Cronin said she is not in favor of the existing fire station proposal. “We need to go back to the drawing board.”
Atsalis, a former state representative, said his 14 years of legislative experience gives him the leadership skills needed for the job of fire commissioner.
Born and raised in Barnstable, Atsalis said he sees his role as listening to the voters. “I’ll put forward what’s best for you,” he said.
He said he believes the effort to build a new fire station needs to be put on hold for several years. With three failed votes, Atsalis said, “We struck out this year.”
Demetrius Atsalis
He said the cost of the new fire station that would earn the support of voters is likely between $15 million and $19 million, and that still needs to be determined. But he pointed out that the current plans are 4,000 square feet smaller than the headquarters of Centerville-Osterville-Marstons Mills Fire Station, even though that station houses 50 percent fewer personnel.
“We need to put together a project that everyone can embrace,” he said.
He said his priority would be studying the district’s balance sheets and ensuring that staff have the proper training and equipment. “I’m the kind of guy who likes to jump in and crunch the numbers,” he said.
Another lifelong resident of Hyannis, Kehoe, who is chairman of the Hyannis Chamber of Commerce board of directors, works as general manager of Gladstone Furniture. He is also chairman of the Barnstable Economic Development Committee.
Kehoe said his priorities for the district would be to study the balance sheets and stay within Proposition 2 1/2 with regard to use of taxpayer funds.
Christopher Kehoe
Kehoe said he also is not in favor of the current fire station proposal. He said the key problem is that the voters did not pass the proposal. He said there may be savings in areas like the exterior construction and the interior design, including the meeting rooms.
Atsalis, Cronin and Kehoe all said they want to look into getting more money to the district through Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) programs with the Steamship Authority and Cape Cod Healthcare, which, as nonprofits, do not pay district taxes at the present time.
When it came time for questions from the audience, former town councilor James Munafo asked whether any of the candidates would be in favor of helping to dissolve the town’s five fire districts in favor of having one town fire department.
Kehoe and Cronin said they would be in favor of looking at the issues.
Stende said, “It’s not going to happen in my lifetime and not for those in the audience, as I look around,” which drew laughter from those in the audience.
Len Gobeil and Deborah Krau are running for moderator. Bob Ciolek, center, was moderating the candidates’ session.
Atsalis said when a non-binding question about dissolving the districts and consolidating them was put before voters 15 years ago, it was overwhelmingly voted down by a three to one margin.
In his closing statement, Atsalis said, “You can’t go wrong with any one of us.”
That statement was echoed after the session by Paul Sullivan, who with Joseph Chili, is one of the current commissioners retiring from the commission.
Len Gobeil and Deborah Krau are running for the moderator seat. Longtime moderator Hugh Findlay is retiring after 20 years of service.
Gobeil is a retired teacher who worked at Barnstable High School and Sandwich High School teaching public speaking and serving as a speech coach. He also served as a Barnstable Town Councilor.
Longtime Hyannis Fire District Moderator Hugh Findlay listens to the candidates forum.
He currently works as a special projects coordinator for the town of Barnstable.
“I’ve always been interested in trying to help people in my community,” Gobeil said.
A Barnstable native, Gobeil graduated from Barnstable High School in 1961 and was in the first graduating class of Cape Cod Community College in 1963.
Krau said she and her husband purchased property in Hyannis in 1979 and moved to town full time in 2003 upon retirement.
Krau’s education included attending the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and the Harvard School of Public Health. During her career, Krau served as chief information officer for a healthcare company for 32 years.
She said she has a lot of experience in moderating numerous forums as a volunteer, as part of her belief that it is important to give back to the community.
In recent years, she has served as chairwoman of the Hyannis Water District Board as that water department was purchased by the town and has undergone extensive capital upgrades.
Joseph Chili and his wife Jeanette at the candidates’ forum.
Both candidates said they have a lot of experience in conflict resolution. Gobeil cited being a father of four children, as well as a referee and president of the teachers union. Krau cited her experience on the water district board as well as her role in the Voices of the Village forum in Hyannis to work on solutions to local problems.
As for dealing with the current issue of building a new fire station, Krau said she would rely on her knowledge of Robert’s Rules of Order to ensure all voices are heard. Gobeil said the moderator is to have no role in debate and that he would see his job as moderating the meeting.
Krau said she believes there can be improvements in the district in the areas of consistency, transparency and accountability.
Paul Sullivan has been on the Hyannis Fire Commission for 18 years.
In his closing statement, Gobeil stressed that he sees the job as running the meeting not resolving any issues. Holding up the book, Robert’s Rules of Order,” he said, “I’ve got the book. I’ve been reading it. I’ve been reading it all my life.”
Krau’s closing statement stressed change. “I want to be your moderator. We have an opportunity to rebuild the trust.”
The deadline to register to vote in the Hyannis Fire District election is April 29.
The Hyannis Fire District elections will be held on Tuesday, May 19 from 3 to 8 p.m. at the Hyannis Youth and Community Center. The center is located at 141 Bassett Lane in Hyannis.
The Hyannis Fire District Annual Meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 20 at 7 p.m. at Barnstable High School, 744 Main Street in Hyannis.
