It's the most wonderful time of the year ! (NOT) !

[ELECTION TIME AGAIN.]

I get a big kick out of the stupidity that seems to run rampant this time of year. Nasty old f*cks looking to make a comeback become nice old guys. No show morons suddenly show up when they percve a gap in the wall of power at the company or department level. Guys who have spent the entire year talking behind everyone's backs and haven't said one nice thing about anyone all year are suddenly shaking hands and patting backs all over the place. If it wasn't so god damned funny to watch I think I'd have to vomit. Some of these jerks actually think people will vote for them too. Amazing! I just wonder if it is like this all over or just here in my little corner of the world? We have a small, financially challenged Department but this time of year there is plenty of "cheer" flowing around the place.

Is it like this everywhere?

[your mother suxx]

your mother

[FF Fly bye]

We get the same thing over by us, we have one guy who runs for an officer position, (different ones), every year but always loses and keeps coming back. Then during the year he responds with another company, (Rescue), and even does that barely. This guy then always comes back again whenever he sees an opening.

Right John ? Sorry Johnny boy, I just couldn't resist.

He has to know already, so this should be no surprise?

We get the same thing over by us, we have one guy who runs for an officer position, (different ones), every year but always loses and keeps coming back. Then during the year he responds with another company, (Rescue), and even does that barely. This guy then always comes back again whenever he sees an opening.

Right John ? Sorry Johnny boy, I just couldn't resist.

He has to know already, so this should be no surprise?
thanks and i will keep running till i get inn.. :D

Maybe you'll get "inn" to heaven, but if you run every year and get bounced I think they are trying to tell you something. Some very decent and hard working guys never get a shot, or do get a shot but only get to be a LT . Not because they are bad guys, but sometimes they just got on the bandwagon at the wrong time, or they pushed thr luck trying to move ahead too quickly only to be left out in the cold when a more senior guy with some pull ran. In any case we have the very same crap as you every single year. My brother in law is in an upstate Department where they changed the election cycle to July just to avoid the hard feelings and arguements at this time of year. They vhave a write in ballot, no committees so no favoritism, nobody gets an edge of any kind. You show up in July and they take all thr nominations off the floor. Then they vote by writing the candidates names on the board so members can copy the spelling. They write ther candidates last name or just the Frist letter of the last name and circle it. Then they collect them and count them out right up in the front of everyone and immediately say John won by 27 votes or whatever. No shady back room counts, no BS. Then they have a nice Summer.

[LISUCKS3333]

Upstate departments are much more civilized than LI depts. We are well known throughout the country as having the most lavish toys, excessive drinking, and corrupt officers/commishioners. A lot of it springs from the money. I have a friend in a dept in VA whose budget is around 300,000/yr. They cover an area about half the size of suffolk county and do about as many jobs as the average LI dept (somewhere around 900-1000 fire jobs, EMS not included). They run just fine and don't have anywhere near the same amount of BS and corruption that goes on here. They can't afford to spend 14000 on a golf simulator or 50000 on a useless race team. Its all about business and they are the happiest bunch of people.

Some Departments have lavish recreation rooms, etc. but some don't have anything at all. Some of the most expensive Fire Districts in Suffolk and Nassau have a bare bones Firehouse with basic cable TV and a TV one of the members brought in from home. Mine is a little better but not much better than I described, and we are still unindated with the horse and pony show that is our election cycle. So the last guys point about money is not credible or relevent to this issue. The issue at hand is that there are so many guys who have so little in thr employment or at home that the FD becomes the single most important thing in thr humble lives. Then when they run for office and lose it literally breaks them. This is why it all seems so damn important to those guys.

[Truckie for life]

In answer to the original post, yes our Department has the same follies that you guys have. We have a few guys who always seem to be running for something, yet they never win anything. For the most part we usually know who will win, even those guys don't.

[Sayville Too !]

We have it here too, some guys have some turd of a job somewhere, can barely pay the bills, etc. But they feel important as long as they hold some measely Fire Department position - it's pathetic. One guy is married, (still lives with mom), has to run for something every year there is something available. It seems he has nothing else outside of the FD.

[s mile]

8) :(

I saw this and had to reply. We have a guy like this too, he just keeps coming back! He was an Company Officer for one year a while ago. He didn't have enough time in the Department to run for Captain one year so a different guy ran and won. The following year he had the gall to ask the Captain - NOT TO RUN for his second year. He then ran a smear campaign lying all the way. The Company vote was close but the Captain was re-elected. By handling the situation in the way he did a lot of guys made up thr minds that he would never get another shot. Well, he came back two more times and lost elections to other people. In each instance he lost poorly, left the Firehouse quickly, and responded to another station for the next year or so. (BABY + SORE LOSER).
So it's not just you're Department but ours as well.

PS- He's running again in December and word is he's gonna get an old fashioned azz whuppin' to send him a message!

[sMIT OH sMIT]

wE GOT A GUY LIKE THAT TOO - Right Smit, you would run for just about any seat available - even though you only get your own vote and the three stooges votes right? Some people never learn, how many times does a guy have to run for office and lose before he gets the message and stops trying? 2, 3, 4, 5 ??????

Ok, Smit go for 6 - who cares. Maybe your pal the Chief will "APPOINT" you to another BS spot so he can keep you in the lime light again. It wont work - we all know your a schmuck and Chief is just doing that because you two cumloads work together. Sooner or later he'll wake up or you will?

It's the same all over. Whether you have a Commissioner, Chief, Officer - with a buddy or a family member who's quota just isn't up to par. Or a candidate they shove down your throat every year because "they" like him/her. The only thing that changes is the name over the garage door. Whener you put someone in power anywhere, there is a slight edge that goes to those who know them. As far as the guy who always runs -

Just always vote the OTHER guy in, someday he'll quit and stop running - usually two or three years after everyone else knows he'll never get another shot because everyone knows his game!

Run for office and change things!!!

Yeah, No - I don't think so.

Guys run for these spots because they have absolutely NOTHING else going for them. It's usually somebody with a half baked job, (notice I said job - not career), no prospects and lot of time on thr hands. These guys need this to feel complete, whereas most guys see it for what it is and wouldn't run in a million years.

Let them run, every year - who cares. If you don't want the guy - just keep voting for the "Other Guy".

[None of the above]

This past Sunday I find some little turd sitting in my firehouse talking with guys he wouldnt give the time of day to. What time of year is it? well of course its the early "outing " of the Chiefs Candidates!!!!!!

There everyones pal, "hey bud can I buy you a beer" "can I take you guys out for dinner" "Can you guys support me"

[How do you know ?]

How do you know it's election time ?


The guy who never has two nice things to say about anyone - ever - is offering to buy you a beer?

The guy who hasn't been seen at your firehouse on a consistent basis for over a year is suddenly the # 1 responder at your station for the month of October.

The guy who has run for office countless times - and lost every time - is "hanging around" the firehouse, a lot.

The cheapest bastard in the firehouse offers to buy you and three other guys chinese food for lunch.

The conversations start in a million places, but always move back to - "can I count on you for your support?

The Chief keeps putting "his pal" up in front of the group to "give Dept. trainings", knowing full well that the pal is running for a Dept. position and the race is a little too close to call.

If you see any of this activity at all - then it MUST be ELECTION SEASON !

[Funny Sh!t]

That is some funny sh!t, and I agree.

Some of these guys are so blatent in thr attempts to buy your vote that it is comical.

[TIRED OF THE CRAPPOLA]

The departments are all the same. If you just change the name on the sign out front you wouldn't see any difference. I think it is funny that these people who are all the sudden everyones buddy think we are all stupid. Like you can't tell they are running for something Be a good guy all year and you will get my vote, treat me like a moron and i'd rather not vote at all.

Our absentee FF lost in our Company elections in each of the last three years. This year his friend is Captain and his other friend is 30, so when the Company Captain picked his nominating committee he picked three stooges he could control and tell what to do. Of course they picked his guy instead of the incumbant. The current guy is nowhere near perfect, but he shows up, is competant, and has tried to do a good job. He's got my vote. One of the guys on the committee was asked why they picked someone other than the current LT for the spot, when he's doing a good job - his answer says it all;
" the Captain said he can't work with the current guy and would prefer the "other guy" be nominated", "so we picked the Captains guy so he can have who he wants".

I heard it, and still cant believe he was stupid enough to say that out loud and in front of so many people. He lost 8 votes in five seconds, if he keeps going the "other guy" will get his butt kicked yet again this year.

It's the same all over, guys try to help get thier friends elected, some do so at thier own peril because if they aren't careful they will kill thier own career. A few years ago one of our Captains kept pushing his friend over and over to the point where someone else ran against the Captain and we tossed him out too. In another instance a baby Chief kept pushing for his buddy to be the next Captain at our company, he pushed so hard at times that he made a lot of enemies - he never made it through the ranks, he lasted one more year and a decent candidate came up and ran against him.

Some of these fools will never learn that most of us don't want four guys from one click running things in any area of the department. It's too easy for them to play favorites and screw people over. I always thought it was a better system when there was some checks and balances involved. Like maybe 30 and 32 couldn't stand each other, so nther of them could pull a fast one on the members because the other would let the news out early.

They will never learn. Its by us to. we have a guy who runs for something every year and loses. wheneaver he thinks he has a shot he throws his hat in the ring. most of us wait our turn, respond to calls and at some point run for office - 1 time. This boob runs every year, people told him years ago that if he ran and lost against somebody he would rune his chances for running again but he never listened, now he's running again and will lose again.

Why do you losers waste your time writing on this site? We have the same or similiar systems in place throughout Suffolk and Nassau Counties for the election and placement of Company and Departmental Officers. We get what we get! The most qualified candidate doesn't always win, we are usually forced to decide between two guys - nther of whom are acceptable and that's the breaks. Everyone else is too busy raising a family or cultivating a career to be worried about bng an Officer on ther level of the Dept. So we get clowns, Tyrants, and morons all the time. For those few who run every year and lose I say this - vote them into a low level position somewhere and watch for them to ruin it for themselves. If they are stupid as you claim, then they'll f*ck things up real quick and word will get out that they are destined for that one year as an officer. End of story.

well just like everyone else who posted a reply im going to start by saying its the same in West Babyon. take this year for instance, we have a commisioner whos backing down for personal reasons, and the night that he makes that announcement people beg him to run against the chief of the dept. now i like the guy and he is doing the right thing by coming around and asking EVERYONES oppionion and input. Now the chief that we have is a nice guy and a decent chief, of course he has his downfalls just like every chief has, but in our department something like this has never happened. I really dont think its fair to have the other chiefs fear wheather they're going to be booted out by an ex chief bc they made one mistake. And to hit on what people were sayin before. You really cant bash every officer.. yea there are, well the majority are guys who just need a power trip and its the only way they can. But i know that my captain busts his ass workin 12, 13 hr days, comes home and helps his kid with work, does side jobs on the weekends, but always has the highest percentage of calls and never misses a drill or meeting. As for my LT. well dont even get me started... see above and thats him. Anyway good luck on all ur elections and i hope u all get al one person you want in office.

The guy who started this post hit it dead on, this is the wrong time of the year to hold types of elections. We also have similiar problems within our Department, but we deal with them in a decisive way - we simply tell the jerk who runs for everything NOT TO ! He usually listens.
As far as the reason these guys run - Ego ? Power trip ? Single guy with no strings attached ? Napolean complex ? Or just because they absolutely nothing else in thr miserable lives to be proud of ?

Whatever the reasons for running, they run, we vote, and I hope as always that decent and qualified individuals are riding around in those high powered SUV's.

[X16]

Upstate departments are much more civilized than LI depts. We are well known throughout the country as having the most lavish toys, excessive drinking, and corrupt officers/commishioners. A lot of it springs from the money. I have a friend in a dept in VA whose budget is around 300,000/yr. They cover an area about half the size of suffolk county and do about as many jobs as the average LI dept (somewhere around 900-1000 fire jobs, EMS not included). They run just fine and don't have anywhere near the same amount of BS and corruption that goes on here. They can't afford to spend 14000 on a golf simulator or 50000 on a useless race team. Its all about business and they are the happiest bunch of people.

Tha's because we can afford it. The sky's the limit.....

We just found election posters in our firehouse - no BS the guy is running for the fourth straight year, having been defeated in each of the last three by different candidates. This dope just won't quit while he's ahead. After losing last year he immediately left the Firehouse with tears streaming down his defeated little face. Then he didn't show up for the entire year, but instead responded to a sub station - ALL YEAR ! Now here he comes again for another azz whooping. I dont get it, does he think we forgot his poor sportsmanship, or maybe the fact that he responded elsewhere all year? This guy couldn't win unless we had a mass casualty incident involving ten or twelve of our members and they were forced to miss the vote.

Why is that such a big deal, we have posters up at every house every single election year. They write down all thr certificates and experience, number of years as a FF/EMT , the whole nine. Sometimes we even get a short blurb about where they stand on certain issues relevant to that years business.

At our firehouse it is sign of desperation when someone puts up signs begging for votes. Most guys campaign behind the scenes in a quiet and classy way. But hey, whatever works for them. This is a wonderful time of the year alright.

We just started the Commissioner campaigning by us, I was wondering - How many Districts have people from outside the FD membership running for Commish? I'd like to know how many "concerned citizens" have decided to run in Selden where they pay and recieve a matchbook for a reciept?

Are you F*cking kidding? We cant find enough taxpayers to volunteer to help run our Department, now you want someone to care enough to campaign and run for public office? Not happening in my neck of the woods. The whole problem is that the Fire District taxes are so low in comparison to other tax burdens that most taxpayers don't give a sh!t at all. They don't care who runs the place, and they don't care what we do at all. The only time anyone cares about anything to do with us, is when SCREWSDAY writes a biased article and makes us out to be a bunch of demons on the warpath - spending thousands on booze and trips.

Are you F*cking kidding? We cant find enough taxpayers to volunteer to help run our Department, now you want someone to care enough to campaign and run for public office? Not happening in my neck of the woods. The whole problem is that the Fire District taxes are so low in comparison to other tax burdens that most taxpayers don't give a sh!t at all. They don't care who runs the place, and they don't care what we do at all. The only time anyone cares about anything to do with us, is when SCREWSDAY writes a biased article and makes us out to be a bunch of demons on the warpath - spending thousands on booze and trips.

Are you F*cking kidding? We cant find enough taxpayers to volunteer to help run our Department, now you want someone to care enough to campaign and run for public office? Not happening in my neck of the woods. The whole problem is that the Fire District taxes are so low in comparison to other tax burdens that most taxpayers don't give a sh!t at all. They don't care who runs the place, and they don't care what we do at all. The only time anyone cares about anything to do with us, is when SCREWSDAY writes a biased article and makes us out to be a bunch of demons on the warpath - spending thousands on booze and trips.