Incumbent Fire Commissioners Win Elections in Two Rockland Fire District

by M.C. Millman

Yesterday evening, the South Spring Valley and Tallman Fire Districts held an election for the fire commissioner position. 

The Tallman Fire District covers Airmont, Montebello, and parts of Suffern and Monsey, and the South Spring Valley Fire District covers Chestnut Ridge and parts of Spring Valley and has five commissioners who serve five-year terms, each on a rotating basis. 

Two fire commissioner positions were open in Tallman and one in South Spring Valley. 

Both districts had strong write-in campaigns this year, challenging the incumbents who still managed to win by a narrow margin in an election that was more strongly attended than either district has seen in years. 

In the South Spring Valley Fire District district, Eli Knoll lost 96 to 110 to incumbent Joseph Raiti with twenty years of service, twelve of which he has served as commissioner.

In Tallman, Yanky Reichberg, and Yanky Grunwald, the write-in candidates, lost the election by about fifty votes.