Some Winfield fire trustees say they won't run

There likely will be a very different group of trustees guiding the decisions of the Winfield Fire Protection District by next year.

Two fire district trustees already say they won't run for election to their posts in 2009.

"I don't know what everybody else is going to do," fire board President Phil Saas said. "But I'm just not interested in putting my reputation out on the line."

The fire protection district plans to hold its first ever elections for fire board during the April 2009 primary.

Voters last week overwhelmingly approved a ballot question asking whether fire board trustees should be elected by the public.

All five current trustees were appointed to their posts by the DuPage County Board. They are required to reapply for the $2,250-a-year position at the end of their terms.

The ballot measure, initiated by former Winfield village Trustee Stan Zegel and several area residents, came in response to repeated attempts by the fire board to pursue a tax-hike ballot measure to shore up the district's finances. The most recent request failed to win approval last week.

Zegel has published numerous articles and editorials critical of the fire district and its practices in the last year.

"I'm very pleased the voters decided to end taxation without representation," Zegel said. "We're the thermometer of this town. If they're not comfortable standing up to the public scrutiny for their actions, then it's wise for them to not run for office."

All five fire board seats will be up for election next spring, Deputy Fire Chief Bryan Lewis said. The top five vote-getters will be elected to the posts.

At the newly elected fire board's first meeting, the group will decide which trustees must serve 2-, 4-, or 6-year terms.

Saas and fellow fire district Trustee Mark Klagy said Zegel's self-published, twice-monthly newsletter prompted their decision not to run for the elected office.

"I got on the fire board as a way to give back to my community," said Klagy, who was appointed through contacts he made as a Milton Township Republican committeeman.

"But I think the waters in this town have been poisoned for us for whatever reason," he added. "I would say part of it is the direction in which politics has gone in this town. It gets personal on both sides."