Alex Hanson and Maryanne Owens secured 60 percent of the total vote in the fire district, which has been under scrutiny for having the highest fire taxes in the state. Mr. Hanson defeated incumbent commissioners Philip Gordon and Frank Swinton by garnering more than 200 votes for a five-year seat on the board.
Mr. Hanson, 48, is the husband of Rosalie Hanson, the organizer of the petition drive. He said he was shocked to learn he had won the election, but he believes residents spoke their mind by casting votes in his favor. Mr. Hanson said he is looking forward to balancing fire safety with the needs of residents.
"We have to create a balance between the two," Mr. Hanson said. "All those residents I spoke to in the community were concerned with equitable taxes, and hopefully we can come together and work toward that goal."
But the election places Mr. Hanson and Ms. Owens in the minority, which might make it difficult for them to achieve their goal.
"We are not in the majority but we have a voice and we will be able to put our opinion out there, which is something that we could not do before," Mr. Hanson said.
Ms. Owens, 49, defeated Patricia Wilson-Brown, 219-111, for a one-year seat on the board. The victory comes one year after Ms. Owens was defeated by three votes by incumbent Carter Brown. Following a review of the district's voting records by The North Shore Sun, it was later discovered that three nonresidents of the fire district cast votes in the election. The district then declined to reconcile the election or call for a revote. The individuals, who are actually residents of the Middle Island Fire District, later had their names removed from the voter sign-in sheet.
Ms. Owens, who made the decision to run again this past summer, said she was shocked when the results came in.
"It goes to show it wasn't a three-vote race," Ms. Owens said. "It was over 100 votes. Maybe that speaks for itself."
The newly elected will begin their terms Jan. 1.
James Kelly, chairman of the Board of Fire Commissioners, said the board will work together for the good of district residents.
"We will work to make sure that the people of our community will have the best rescue and fire protection they can have," Mr. Kelly said.
Incumbents ruled in other fire district races this week.
In Wading River, incumbent James Meier was re-elected to a new five-year term, defeating challengers Michael Harrigan and Robert Quaranta. Newcomer Edward Frost defeated Matthew Colitti for a two-year term on Wading River's board.
In Ridge, incumbent Pasquale Pirozzi was re-elected to another 5-year term, defeating challengers Robert Leonhardt and Louis Brandt.
In Rocky Point, Stephen Tumulty defeated Thomas Logan for a five-year term. In Mount Sinai, Peter Vanmidlen defeated Anthony Tricarico and Stephen Applebaum for a five-year term.
peggy@northshoresun.com