To the editor: 

This letter is addressing the recent article written about the Long Eddy Fire District.

1. The past community members badgering about “Report filing” with the State Comptroller’s and townships. You cannot file any reports such as budget reports if you DO NOT have a functioning fire hose company which the LE Hose Co. hasn’t been a functioning hose company for 3 years!!! Therefore, nothing could be filed, NO HOSE CO = NO BUDGET = NO TAXES COLLECTED nor revenues received.

2. Please spell “Corky” Karkkainen correctly.

3. It is known the 3 remaining commissioners had a meeting earlier in the year where they appointed new commissioners (which should just be for remaining time of replacement term) Aaron and Colleen Polomecean and hired McClane as Secretary/Treasurer. Where was this transparency?? Why was it a secret meeting? Why wasn’t it announced on the marquee?

4. When this hiring happened, who was paying the bills when McClane refused to request the checkbook for 3 months? Why did she rudely inconvenience the Long Eddy Post Office personnel by demanding they replace the lock box to the PO Box instead of just asking for the key from the past Sec/Treasurer?

5. Where are all the so-called sought after, committed, 15 volunteer members needed to reconstitute the Hose Co.? They should have already been ready now that they undermined previous commissioners to quit that supposedly kept them from joining the Hose Co., and they all had received their physicals LAST year.

6. “Locked out”??? The three remaining commissioners had the authority to replace the resigned commissioners to create a “viable” Board of Commissioners. They now have a full board, and they can’t even attend the “first” meeting (which the “first” meeting should have been a reorganizational meeting – COMPLIANCE”??) to create a quorum!!

7. The auditor said, “I wouldn’t make any big decisions right now.” I think deciding to auction off the antique fire truck is a big decision! Transparency?? Did they let the community know? For what purpose did they auction it off? It is a travesty and shame to our Long Eddy history, which 2 of the current commissioners and McClane wouldn’t understand, being they aren’t from here. Where is their pride?

8. Tom Shea’s remark that the “reconstitution was moving along until the letter (the Town Supervisor Brian Brustman) was written.” That was an illusion. The Hose Co. had over a year to reconstitute and the deadline for choosing disbandment was due with no further progress in reporting that they had the necessary amount of firemen needed to reopen. If they did, where are those members now? They should be ready to go.

The community did not do its due diligence like they claim. They circled the wagons and pointed inwards and tried to put the blame on the past board of commissioners. They are in no better place than before and THEY are already not in compliance.

It’s not the commissioners that keep the district from reconstituting, the “at risk” is THE LACK OF VOLUNTEER FIREMEN! They can’t seem to retain that. NO FIREMEN=NO HOSE CO.=DISBANDMENT.

The Hancock Herald and SC Democrat should do better research.

Jen Porter

Long Eddy