Who's Fire District?
#OURFIREDISTRICT
ELECTION UPDATE...
Don't let our taxes be raised again!
I have proudly served this District as a member since 2014 and as a commissioner since 2020. As a member, I have responded to hundreds, if not thousands of calls to assist my neighbors and people I did not even know at all hours of the day and night. As a commissioner, with the help of my fellow board members, taxes for all of us here in the district have gone down by approximately 12% in spite of our current economy while still providing top notch emergency services and equipment manned by dedicated unpaid professionals. This can be verified if you go online and look up the amount you paid to the Fire District in 2018 versus the amount you paid on your last tax bill. Please look for yourself as I always say trust but verify!
When you know all the facts, the choice is simple.
As some of you already know, we, as taxpayers of the Pocatello Fire District were subjected to a Pearl Harbor style sneak attack by a very questionable family on December 10th during the commissioner election. The Healy family has done considerable and irreversible damage to the fire service here in Orange County and now they are trying to back door their way into controlling our tax revenue. It should be noted that multiple people in and closely related to the family have been arrested and are currently under indictment for theft of an excessive amount of funds from a fire company that I will not name here out of respect for the company and the many good members who serve there. Charles (Chuck) Healy, the fire chief who was removed by the company for unconscionable racist remarks, has personally attacked me multiple times as well. In fact, during my last campaign 5 years ago when I was elected to represent you all, he made a post promising to run against me if I won. My answer to him was that I would welcome the opportunity and would make sure that the taxpayers know the truth about him. He tried to avoid this by doing a sneaky underhanded write-in campaign to have his wife, Lisa, put in charge of our taxpayer funds. I was always taught that when somebody stabs you in the back and doesn't kill you, you turn and face them like a man and come at them with everything at your disposal. I fully intend to do just that! Even though they tried their hardest, the race resulted in a tie and we will be having a runoff on January 3rd 2025. Please educate yourself on both families involved in this election and cast your vote in the best interests of the taxpayers who pay the bills here in the district. I urge anyone voting in this District to do two simple internet searches before deciding who to vote for.
Search #1: "Ray McNamara Pocatello"
will give you a lot of information and insight about myself and my family and all we do for the community.
(Also, see the "Community" and "About Me" sections at the top of this page <dropdown menu on phones>)
Search#2: "Healy Washington Heights"
will yield some disturbing negative results that you, as taxpayers, should be aware of. Some are lsted below.
Please come out on January 3rd FROM 6PM to 9PM at The Firehouse
5 Pocatello Road and vote for Ray McNamara!
A vote for me is a vote for yourself and all the Taxpayers here in the district.
ELECTION UPDATE...
Don't let our taxes be raised again!
I have proudly served this District as a member since 2014 and as a commissioner since 2020. As a member, I have responded to hundreds, if not thousands of calls to assist my neighbors and people I did not even know at all hours of the day and night. As a commissioner, with the help of my fellow board members, taxes for all of us here in the district have gone down by approximately 12% in spite of our current economy while still providing top notch emergency services and equipment manned by dedicated unpaid professionals. This can be verified if you go online and look up the amount you paid to the Fire District in 2018 versus the amount you paid on your last tax bill. Please look for yourself as I always say trust but verify!
When you know all the facts, the choice is simple.
As some of you already know, we, as taxpayers of the Pocatello Fire District were subjected to a Pearl Harbor style sneak attack by a very questionable family on December 10th during the commissioner election. The Healy family has done considerable and irreversible damage to the fire service here in Orange County and now they are trying to back door their way into controlling our tax revenue. It should be noted that multiple people in and closely related to the family have been arrested and are currently under indictment for theft of an excessive amount of funds from a fire company that I will not name here out of respect for the company and the many good members who serve there. Charles (Chuck) Healy, the fire chief who was removed by the company for unconscionable racist remarks, has personally attacked me multiple times as well. In fact, during my last campaign 5 years ago when I was elected to represent you all, he made a post promising to run against me if I won. My answer to him was that I would welcome the opportunity and would make sure that the taxpayers know the truth about him. He tried to avoid this by doing a sneaky underhanded write-in campaign to have his wife, Lisa, put in charge of our taxpayer funds. I was always taught that when somebody stabs you in the back and doesn't kill you, you turn and face them like a man and come at them with everything at your disposal. I fully intend to do just that! Even though they tried their hardest, the race resulted in a tie and we will be having a runoff on January 3rd 2025. Please educate yourself on both families involved in this election and cast your vote in the best interests of the taxpayers who pay the bills here in the district. I urge anyone voting in this District to do two simple internet searches before deciding who to vote for.
Search #1: "Ray McNamara Pocatello"
will give you a lot of information and insight about myself and my family and all we do for the community.
(Also, see the "Community" and "About Me" sections at the top of this page <dropdown menu on phones>)
Search#2: "Healy Washington Heights"
(Also, see the "Community" and "About Me" sections at the top of this page <dropdown menu on phones>)
Search#2: "Healy Washington Heights"
will yield some disturbing negative results that you, as taxpayers, should be aware of. Some are lsted below.
Please come out on January 3rd FROM 6PM to 9PM at The Firehouse
5 Pocatello Road and vote for Ray McNamara!
A vote for me is a vote for yourself and all the Taxpayers here in the district.
It has come to my attention that some of the officers from Pocatello have been contacted by a Chief from another department about this page. First, please note that I very carefully worded this and did not name any fire company or district out of respect for them and those who serve there. I was told by a Pocatello Officer that I was “casting a wide brush and painting (Another Fire Company) in a negative light”. I have read it over and over and frankly, this is untrue. The Healy family has cast an extremely negative light on (Another Fire Company), not me. The purpose of this is to allow the Taxpayers of The Pocatello Fire District access to TRUE AND RELEVANT INFORMATION about this family and their past actions so they can make an informed decision on January 3rd and re-elect me to continue the great work that is being done by THE ENTIRE BOARD. We, together, are responsible for lowering taxes here in the district by about 12% while at the same time, updating our Ladder Truck, Rescue, Brush Truck (Thank you, Orange Lake Fire District!) and 2 Chief's Vehicles. None are new, but they all get the job done well and are manned by some of the best unpaid professionals I know. Everything I have linked to, both about The McNamara family and The Healy family has been posted publicly by the media as well as several other reputable organizations. We, as the ones who pay the bills here, have a right to know TRUE FACTS about the 2 families that are asking to represent this district. If anyone has any input for me on this page or anything else I post, contact me directly, please. To the Chief who reached out to them, as I asked the officer who called me last night to pass on to you, all of my contact information is posted at the bottom of every page of my website and Facebook page and I would welcome the opportunity to talk man to man and I promise you I will hear you out. Please refrain from bothering the officers and members of Pocatello in the future and talk to me. This is an issue to be decided by The Taxpayers of The Pocatello Fire District, not any member, officer, or fire company who does not pay taxes here.
While I am truly sorry for all the damage done to (Another Fire Company) by the Healy family, I had nothing to do with any of it and am simply giving true and accurate public information to the Taxpayers.
It saddens me that bringing truth into the light has caused such unnecessary division between Fire Companies. I personally feel that if (Another Fire Company) is still so wounded by the actions of the Healy family, I would prefer to see them take a stand and aid us in avoiding a similar catastrophe which could potentially lead to a public relations, or even worse, a financial calamity for this district.
:Please Note
To My Neighbors and Fellow Tax-Payers...
To My Neighbors and Fellow Tax-Payers...
It seems like yesterday I was out knocking on all your doors asking you to support me in my bid to become our voice as Commissioner here in The Pocatello Fire District. In fact, it has been over 4 years. This year, I will be seeking re-election to the position. When I started my campaign, I promised you all 3 things... Accessability, Accountability and Transparency. Many of you spoke to me face to face. Most of you who I did not meet while out knocking on doors throughout The District recieved a letter from me explaining what I intended to do. Some of you asked if I would lower taxes. I was brutally honest and said that I did not believe I could do that, but I also gave you all my word that I would do everything in my power to hold the line with no increases. The fact is, that with help from my fellow Commissioners, especially my daughter, Margaret, I am proud to say that as always, I have kepy my word! As for Accessability, my home phone number and adress are widely available to any tax-payer who wishes to speak to me for any reason. Now on to Accountability and Transparency... I have made sure that everything done in our Board Meetings
was live-streamed for you all to see so you know where YOUR money is going. I have proven beyond doubt that I am the right man for this job! Between holding the budget to the same amount year after year, in spite of the outrageous inflation going on in Our Beloved Country and The Grace of The Father, who, by his will, allowed us to gain a new Business, Stewarts on Mt. Hope Road along with many beautiful homes here in the district, we now all pay less now than when I started.
I always say, "Trust, but verify!". Please take a moment to look at your tax bill from 2018, the year I first ran, the line Item for Pocatello Fire District. Now, please look at this year's bill on the same line. I have been thanked by several of my neighbors for the fact that the number is an average of 10% lower today, but I take no credit for this. I do, however, have extreme pride in seeing my success in accomplishing what I set out to do.
Please come out on December 10th, 2024 and cast your vote for me so I can continue to make this a better place for all of us! Mark your callendar and remember to excersize your most important right, VOTING!
Please come out and make your voice heard! Public Comment on the FY 2024 budget will be October 16th, 2023, 6PM to 7PM
@ The Firehouse, 5 Pocatello Road
OPEN PUBLIC BUDGET MEETING
OPEN PUBLIC BUDGET MEETING
September 26th, 2023 @ 6:30 PM
Pocatello Firehouse
5 Pocatello Road
Our budget is currently being prepared. As I am sure you have all seen, we have been able to keep the budget consistent since I ran for office in 2019 through 2023. This, and the fact that we have a new business (Stewart's Shops on Mt. Hope Rd and CR-78) and several new homes in the district, means your Fire District tax amount has actually gone down. Please take a minute to compare the amount you paid in 2018 with the amount you paid this year. I, personally, paid $2,500 in 2018 and $2,200 in 2023. I will be fighting to keep the budget the same again and will do everything I can to keep it this way in the future.
Please come out and be heard on this matter!
My name is Margaret McNamara and I am running for Commissioner of the Pocatello Fire District. When my family moved here in 2012, the firehouse was one of the first places we went to. There were many community events held at the firehouse and the welcoming atmosphere led to my father and brother joining the Pocatello Fire Company and my mom joining the Ladies’ Auxiliary. My sister and I, although too young to join anything at the time, found ourselves constantly at the firehouse. We found another family there and it has not been like that in recent years. Due to the reconstruction of the firehouse, reorganization of the company, and unfortunately, now covid, the sense of family and community has dwindled significantly. That needs to change and I’m thinking, although I’m young, I can bring A LOT of fresh ideas to the table to get back to that sense of family. With the help of the current board, we have brought Girl Scout Troop 251, of which I am a co-leader, to the firehouse.
I began attending the monthly commissioner meetings when my dad, Ray McNamara, Sr. won his seat on the board in the 2019 election. I have attended every meeting opened to the public since then. I find it interesting to see how the district and fire company work together to ensure we have what we need and keep our community safe. I see this as a huge service to the community and I have always been one to help. I currently work at one of the Middletown elementary schools and will be going to college in the spring, studying early childhood education. I am a member of the Ladies Auxiliary, and although there has been a brief recess in functions due to the Covid-19 outbreak, I am looking forward to doing more community events in the future. Still wanting to help while being shut down, Girl Scout Troop 251, donated cookies to the military, the Wallkill Police Dept., Correction Officers, and Healthcare personnel. We have made Christmas Kindness boxes for veterans living “off the grid” and we made ornaments for nursing home residents for Christmas. I also volunteer at Victory Hill Therapeutic Horsemanship. Here I help special needs children with a number of equine-assisted activities.
I am asking that you vote for me on December 8, 2020. I am not afraid of hard work and I will put in the time to bring back the sense of family that welcomed me 8 years ago.
Margaret McNamara
for Commissioner!
"Whatever it Takes!"
"Whatever it Takes!"
THANK YOU TO ALL WHO SUPPORTED ME!
NOW WE GET TO WORK!
I AM HONORED TO BE YOUR FIRE COMMISSIONER
WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER!
This website is personally owned and operated at no cost to the taxpayers. It contains true facts. Any opinions or beliefs expressed are my own and do not reflect those of any organization I am associated with.
Swearing in as your newest Commissioner
Swearing in as your newest Commissioner
I was officially sworn in as your newest Fire Commissioner at the Annual Re-organizational Meeting on January 9th, 2020 by our Secretary, Andi Broas. I look forward to serving this community for many years to come.
Please come out and meet your neighbors and those of us elected to serve you. The Board of Fire Commissioners works for YOU! IT IS YOUR MONEY, you should know how it is being spent. All Taxpayers have the right to attend and be placed on the agenda to address any concerns you may have.
Be advised we will be doing nominations for our Board of Ethics.
Any taxpayer in the district is eligible for the position. Please call me at the number below if you want to be considered!
Accessibility, Accountability, and Transparency are all necessary for this to work for everyone.
Message me if you would like to be placed on the agenda and I will make sure our secretary gets your information so you can speak. PLEASE give your input if you feel we can do something better.
WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER!
Due to CHINA VIRUS, we had to cancel our April Meeting.
The May meeting was held on May 22, 2020, with PPE and proper social distancing and was live-streamed on Facebook. You can watch the meeting on my FB page using the link at the bottom of this page.
The June meeting was held on June 4th, 2020 in the same way.
(Happy 26th Anniversary, Jenn Keys McNamara! Thanks for giving me up for a few hours to do this)
Our OPEN PUBLIC monthly meeting of Fire Commissioners will be on March 5th, 2020 starting at 6:30 PM at the Firehouse, 5 Pocatello Road.
Please come out and meet your neighbors and those of us elected to serve you. The Board of Fire Commissioners works for YOU! IT IS YOUR MONEY, you should know how it is being spent. All Taxpayers have the right to attend and be placed on the agenda to address any concerns you may have.
Please come out and meet your neighbors and those of us elected to serve you. The Board of Fire Commissioners works for YOU! IT IS YOUR MONEY, you should know how it is being spent. All Taxpayers have the right to attend and be placed on the agenda to address any concerns you may have.
Accessibility, Accountability, and Transparency are all necessary for this to work for everyone.
Message me if you would like to be placed on the agenda and I will make sure our secretary gets your information so you can speak. PLEASE give your input if you feel we can do something better.
WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER!
Message me if you would like to be placed on the agenda and I will make sure our secretary gets your information so you can speak. PLEASE give your input if you feel we can do something better.
WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER!
I am very happy to say that we had more taxpayers than Commissioners at the January meeting. Please come out on February 6th for the next monthly PUBLIC meeting. This is YOUR FIRE DISTRICT! Please come out and meet your neighbors and Commissioners. If you don't let us know what you want, you only have yourself to blame. It is OUR MONEY, please come see what we are doing with it. As promised, I will be posting video of the meetings. Out of fairness to those who take the time to come out and participate on meeting nights, I will be posting the videos on a 2-week delay. Those who attend should be the first to know everything!
PUBLIC MEETING NOTICE!
The Annual Re-organizational meeting will be January 9th, 2020 6:30 PM at the firehouse, 5 Pocatello Road.
Immediately following will be the January monthly meeting.
I hope to see many of you there. It is YOUR MONEY, please come out and meet your neighbors and those of us elected to represent you.
WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER!
The Annual Re-organizational meeting will be January 9th, 2020 6:30 PM at the firehouse, 5 Pocatello Road.
Immediately following will be the January monthly meeting.
I hope to see many of you there. It is YOUR MONEY, please come out and meet your neighbors and those of us elected to represent you.
WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER!
The vote is done, the results are in. I would like to thank God first for allowing me to have a chance to make this a better place according to his will. I would also like to thank my family, especially my beautiful wife, Jenn Keys McNamara for all the support and help in getting this done even with the deck stacked against me. Additionally, I would like to thank the 31 people who came out and wrote me in to be the man that represents them in The Pocatello Fire District. Just as important, I would like to thank the 19 people who took the time to come out and vote for my opponent. It was never personal between Michael and I and I truly wish him the best in everything he does. I am extremely disappointed that this election was decided by only 50 people. Voting is our most precious right and we all need to use it aggressively to shape the future for our families. I am also very happy to say that I had a very productive conversation with Chairman Ron Broas, Commissioner Debbie Casella, Commissioner Joe Mazza, Treasurer Pete Casella and Secretary Andi Broas. We have all agreed that we can work together to do great things in this district. I am looking forward to doing my part and they all seem to be as well. The negativity ends today. I fully intend to keep my promise to inform the taxpayers of everything and work with the other Commissioners to make Pocatello better for the taxpayers and the members who serve them. As Commissioners, we have a lot of hard work ahead of us and we will get it done. Thank you to all who supported me in this endeavor and to those who did not come out and exercise their right to vote, please try harder next time. We all need to do our part to make this a better place and it starts with being involved in choosing who represents you. I hope to see many of my neighbors at the Commissioner's Meetings on the First Thursday of each month. Come on out and meet your fellow taxpayers and those of us who are your voice. The more you participate and give your thoughts, the happier you will be with what you get back in the end. I AM PROUD TO BE YOUR NEWEST COMMISSIONER AND WILL WORK WITH THE BOARD TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO BE ADVOCATES FOR YOU ALL!
PLEASE NOTE THE REORGANIZATIONAL MEETING WILL BE ON JANUARY 9TH AND THE MONTHLY MEETING WILL FOLLOW IMMEDIATELY AFTER. I HOPE TO SEE YOU ALL THERE.
Thank you, and goodnight.
To my neighbors and fellow taxpayers
It is time to bring back transparency and accountability
to the Tax Payers!
After 3 consecutive years of 20% tax increases EVERY YEAR, I had 2 choices...
Choice #1 was to sit back and complain about the situation.
Choice #2 was to run for office and do the job better!
I have never been one to quit! I am running for Commissioner to be the voice of those of us who have to pay for the decisions made by our current board. I know there are many ways to spend Tax Payer money more carefully.
I have decades of experience in running different 501c3's, Fire Fighting, Management and Politics.
Let me work for you!
GETTING RESULTS FOR ALL OF US!
GETTING RESULTS FOR ALL OF US!
As promised, I have been staying on top of this board and making sure they know we are watching what they do. After 3 consecutive years of 20% tax increases, they now know I will be putting everything they do out for the people who elect them to see. I am proud to say there will be NO TAX INCREASE this year! Amazing how they change their tactics when light is shed on them. Please come out and vote for me on December 10th at the firehouse from 6 PM to 9 PM so I can make sure our taxes are not raised unfairly again in the future. I will be accessible and accountable to you all!
WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER!
2019 Budget
2019 Budget
2020 Proposed Budget
2020 Proposed Budget
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT
I will work tirelessly to do everything possible to save the Tax Payers money while making sure our dedicated team of volunteers who answer the call have everything they need to keep all of our families safe. I will be completely accessible to the Tax Payers.
I have served as:
- First Vice President, NYC Dept. of Education, District 27, Queens
- Executive Officer / Instructor, Young Marines Program,
American Legion, Broad Channel Post 1404
- Fire Police Lieutenant, Pocatello Fire District
- Accountability Officer, Pocatello Fire District
- Vice President, Pocatello Fire Company
- Sgt. at Arms, Pocatello Fire Company
- Membership Director, Pocatello Fire Company
It should be noted that my opponent in this race
DOES NOT OWN A HOME IN THE DISTRICT!
I personally own several properties here in the district and paid just under $2,500.00 in fire taxes in 2019. Who do you think will spend tax-payer money more wisely, a taxpayer with 8 plots here in our fire district or a newcomer with no skin in the game when it comes to property taxes?
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
The Assistant Chief posted the following on my Facebook campaign page today, Nov. 6, 2019
"Not all the facts are being pushed by Mr McNamara. Fear is being used by him. The whole story is not exposed."
In a way, he has a point as I have been trying to be nice about this and the fact is that he is correct. The taxpayers have a right to know all the facts. Thanks for pointing that out Wayne.
Below are the facts, as determined by The New York State Comptroller, Tom DiNapoli.
At the request of the Assistant Chief
Click the link for the New York State Comptroller's 2017 audit of The Pocatello Fire District. As a taxpayer, I am wondering why the same treasurer is still employed with our money after this disastrous audit. It should be noted that the treasurer is the spouse of a board member. Why was this not taken care of in 2017 after the audit? Ask the current board. They (and I too, soon) work for the taxpayers, not the other way around.
New York State Comptroller's Audit
Click for the summary
Click for the summary
Click for the entire 22 page report
Click for the entire 22 page report
Higher Taxes and Broken Promises
Higher Taxes and Broken Promises
This article from The Epoch Times from April 20th, 2016 highlights the disregard of the current board for the taxpayers and the promises that were made to us.
It states, among other things concerning the true cost to the taxpayers, that the bond will be used
"to repair the culvert that was washed out during Hurricane Sandy and the blacktop would be paved and new lines drawn for better parking."
It should be noted that NONE OF THIS IS DONE TO DATE. There was minimal patching done to the asphalt but nothing else in that statement has been done. Hurricane Sandy was in 2012, 7 years ago.
It is our money and the Commissioners have an obligation to use it as they told us they would when they asked us to foot the bill for a bond that will cost us all over $1,200,000.00
Please be advised that on November 21st, 2019, Chairman Ron Broas and Commissioner Joe Mazza refused to accept my petition. I was told I can run as a write-in, but they would not accept the 3 pages of signatures I collected from the residents of the district to get placed on the ballot. I informed them that the Town of Wallkill website listed November 21st as the date to turn in signatures and was told that "According to our council, that was just a mistake and we can refuse to accept your petition". This seems pre-planned to me if they have already consulted their attorney. Ron further stated that the notice also said 20 days before the election. The election is on December 10th. Today is November 21st. By my math, this is exactly 20 days before the election. He also said that "EVERY YEAR" the resolution he showed me has to be attached to the petition. When he gave the candidates their papers last year, there was no resolution attached. Doesn't that mean last year's results are Null and Void? I will be working with my attorney to put a stop to this and one way or another,
I WILL BE OUR NEXT COMMISSIONER!
They are afraid to get a person on the board who can't be bought or swayed because they want to keep their business private. Rest assured that I will continue to work tirelessly to make the taxpayers aware of everything. I will update this situation as I get new information. Now, more than ever, we need to show them that they will not deal in back rooms with OUR tax money. Whether this is a criminal attempt to keep me off the ballot or if as they say it was a mistake in the posting and they are too incompetent to write a proper Notice of Election, THEY ALL NEED TO GO!
If they do manage to keep my name from being printed on the ballot,
WRITE IN RAY MCNAMARA FOR COMMISSIONER!
Please come out and vote for me on
December 10th, 2019 from 6 PM to 9 PM
at The Pocatello Firehouse, 5 Pocatello Road so I can bring accountability and fiscal responsibility to this district. WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER!
THE BOARD IS SO SCARED NOW THEY ARE COMMITTING FRAUD TO STOP ME FROM MAKING THEM ACCOUNTABLE!
Words to live by...
