Critics: Gordon Heights fire district spends on jewelry

[Monty 35]

From Newsday:

The Gordon Heights fire district - which some residents are trying to dissolve because it's the most expensive in the state - approved using district funds to buy a $1,019 bracelet for a commissioner and to spend $20,600 on an installation dinner, according to notes of the meeting taken by a resident.

Residents, who pay an average of $1,300 a year in fire taxes, are up in arms.

Seems to me like some people just don't learn ..... maybe its their way of stimulating the economy.

Wonder what repercussions this may start in Albany this time around .....

[firecapt32 282]

Gifts for a outgoing commissioner or a outgoing fire chief are accecpectable gift items. Maybe this is the practice of the Fire district, the only thing that can change that is the citizens of the district speaking out at meetings and getting things out in the open. If you are doing things right there is no need to hide behind anything. As I have said many times in the past when you accecpt public money, no matter what form or shape , you had better be held accountable to Mrs. Smith, and her money had better be used to do what she intended it to do.

Hey $20,000 is a lot of stimilus to any economy.

[Guest alsfirefighter]

I like the economy spending argument there capt. Nice spin.

I know of many districts that get their commissioners and out going Chiefs rings in commemoration of their service. What the prices are I couldn't tell you. I think that anything that is done needs to be done with common sense and show where the money has come from. Lets not forget there is 2% money out there as well that can be utilized for things similar to this. With that said...some have to ask themselves what other departments do for where they live when someone retires, etc. While what we do is important...so are alot of other peoples jobs and no one held a gun to our heads to do this...or to take positions within the department. We're not special. So in the hyper tax payer world, you might want to use a little more discretion as later you may need their approval on something critical later on.