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Everyone knows about next Tuesday's election.  Lansing voters will elect a U.S. President  and Congressman, and a State Senator and Assembly member.  What voters may not know is that they will be called back to the polls twice in December.  On December 8th the Lansing School District will ask voters to approve two no-cost-to-taxpayers capital projects.  And on December 9th voters will elect two fire commissioners and a fire district treasurer.

If history is any measure, not very many people will come to those elections, or run in them.  In the last few elections fire department insiders have been the only candidates to run, and typically only thirty or so voters show up to cast their ballots.  Lansing Fire Commissioner Chairman Robert Wagner thinks that a mix of department insiders and the public at large would be healthier for the district.  "I don't know if it is because we do such a good job of keeping taxes low and everything seems to be working well," he says of the apparent lack of interest.  "But I believe that it should be a split."

Lansing Fire Commissioners oversee a $1.3 million budget that pays for equipment, training, and facilities for the Lansing Fire Department, which is an independent organization.  Commissioners meet twice a month.  One is a working meeting, while the other, held on the first Tuesday of each month, follows a formal agenda.  These meetings are open to the public, though members of the public rarely show up.

Fire Commisioners (Left to right) Secretary Alvin Parker, Chairman Bob Wagner, Jeff Walters, Treasurer George Gesslein, Larry Creighton

While the responsibilities of running a municipal entity with taxing authority are serious, commissioners say that the time commitment is not onerous.  Wagner says that on top of the two monthly meetings commissioners conduct walk-through inspections of the four fire stations, and may have some other duties such as meeting with architects on capital projects, or meeting with other municipal officials such as Village Trustees to discuss a potential new station there.  He says it is a good option for people who want to serve the community but can't commit the kind of time a school board member, for instance, would have to.

This year one candidate has stepped up to run for each of the three open positions.  Wagner will run for his third five-year term on the commission.  With Treasurer George Gesslein stepping down at the end of this year, Deborah Milliman has submitted a letter of her intent to run for that position.  The remaining three years of Kimberly Spencer's five year term will be filled in this election as well.  Spencer resigned after serving almost two years.  Kirstie Oplinger has submitted a letter of her intent to run for Spencer's seat.  If nobody else decides to run, the commissioners will all come from within the fire department.

"It was (a mixture of fire department and general public) until five years ago," Wagner explains.  "Steve White and George Gesslein weren't in the department.  Steve and George each served two terms.  When Steve decided not to run he decided it was time for somebody else to step up, but there just hasn't been the interest."


At this point it looks as if all three positions will be uncontested.  Wagner notes that more people tend to run when they are dissatisfied with taxes or the way things are run, and that the Lansing Fire Commissioners have been doing a good job.  But he also says that, other than word of mouth, the commission hasn't done much in the way of community outreach to encourage others to run.  "Has it hurt?," he asks.  "Things can always get better and it's hard to tell what somebody will interject to make it better.  I think we've done a good job, but we can always use the input."

You can't deny that the commissioners have done a good job.  Following a detailed 20 year plan, taxes have remained at the same level within a few cents for years.  This year the tax rate will be 99 cents, three cents less than last year.  The four fire stations are lovingly cared for, as are trucks and equipment.  New purchases and building projects are planned for well in advance and measures are taken to reduce the burden to the taxpayers when they are needed. 

"A lot of the residents think we're a paid department," he says.  "It's good to know that we act professionally and do the job to the point where they think we're paid.  But we're not.  We're still 100% volunteer."

Wagner has been a member of the fire department for 33 years, and is currently the department's President as well as being the Chairman of the Fire Commissioners.  He is proud of the department's performance and invested in keeping the tax rate down while providing first rate service to the community.  The Lansing Fire Department receives more than 900 emergency calls per year, and each year the number rises.  But despite the rising cost of just about everything the commissioners have kept fire taxes low.

"Next year it will be 99 cents per thousand dollars of assessed valuation," he says.  "If you have a $200,000 house it will be just under $200.  That's pretty cheap insurance for a department that is trained as well and does what they do as well as they do."

But he also says that mixing department insiders and other residents would benefit the district.  "It would be part of our checks and balances," he says.  "It would be a good mix to get new ideas."

There is still time for candidates to declare their intention to run.  Petitions are not required, so the only requirement is to file a letter with the District Secretary Alvin Parker.  The deadline this year is November 19th. 

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