RIO GRANDE – John Menz, running for a seat on the Board of Fire Commissioners, in Rio Grande, believes if he is successful, he can gather enough votes to change the rules for the use of fire district vehicles.
The commission has been under scrutiny over the use of a Chevrolet Tahoe purchased for the fire district.
The incumbent, Kirby Stiltner, said there is no issue with the current policies on the use of commission vehicles, suggesting the entire controversy has more to do with the election than with concern over vehicles.
Stiltner, who worked for Middle Township schools as a custodian for 40 years and is a life member of the Rio Grande Volunteer Fire Company, described the vehicle controversy as a non-issue.
“I don’t even understand,” he said. “The vehicles are purchased by the commission with taxpayer money, or sometimes with grants, and then assigned to different departments,” he said. “We use the vehicles for hoagie sales. We use the vehicles for fighting fires.”
Vehicle use became an issue over the winter, after comments made through the Herald’s Spout Off section alleged a vehicle purchased with public funds was being used by a commissioner.
Voters approved the purchase of the Chevrolet Tahoe, in 2020, for $50,000.
“He kept a car that was on the ballot that was meant for the volunteers and drove it around for a year,” Menz said.
While the matter was discussed at length, no one previously stated on the record which fire commissioner was using the truck when it was damaged. Menz said it was Commission Chairman Sal DiSimone.
Several attempts were made to interview DiSimone about the vehicle, but he did not respond to requests for comment. He was advised not to discuss the matter because it remains under investigation, Stiltner said.
“Nobody told me not to talk,” Stiltner said. “The car was hit sitting in the back of the firehouse.”
He is the first fire commission member to address the matter directly. Stiltner said the truck was parked at the fire hall, on Route 47, when his granddaughter backed into it. He said he covered the cost of the repairs himself. By all accounts, the vehicle is back in service.
“I’m the one who paid to have it fixed. There’s no insurance claim. There’s nothing,” Stiltner said. “I don’t believe that we’ve done anything wrong.”
Still, the investigation is ongoing, Middle Township Mayor Timothy Donohue confirmed. Donohue said the matter is in the hands of the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office, describing that as standard procedure.
Capt. Mike Emmer, with the Prosecutor’s Office, said no one from that office could discuss the matter, or any ongoing investigation.
“I cannot comment on anything,” he said.
Menz, a captain with the volunteer fire company, said he wants to make the commission more transparent. He suggested the commission does not do enough to support the volunteer fire company.
He would also move to change the policy on vehicle usage, something Robert Zimmerman, a member of the Board of Fire Commissioners, suggested at the January meeting. No action was taken on his suggestion (https://bit.ly/3teAysZ).
“If I got in, I think we would have the votes to do that. It’s a shame that we have to do it,” Menz said.
Zimmerman said no fire district rules were broken by the vehicle’s use. According to the minutes of the January meeting, he sought to change those rules.
“Bob Zimmerman wanted to go on record that during the investigation, he is not in favor of fire district vehicles being used for personal use, and that all fire district vehicles should be parked on fire district property,” reads the meeting minutes.
The fire company chief and the deputy chief are not eligible to serve on the Board of Fire Commissioners, according to Menz, but as a captain, he could. His family owns Menz Restaurant and Bar, on Route 47, where he works full time.
Menz said he and Stiltner have a good relationship.
“I don’t really feel like I’m running against him,” he said.
Stiltner serves as treasurer on the commission.
“I make sure that our bills are paid and that we don’t overspend,” he said.
He also tries to avoid any increase in the fire district taxes, he said. At the same time, he said, he works to keep the volunteer fire company’s members safe, ensuring they have needed equipment to protect the community.
“I live in the district,” he added.
Stiltner said he is dedicated to the fire district and the community it serves.
“The firehouse, to me, is like part of my family. The young firemen are like my own sons,” he said.
Contested elections in fire districts are uncommon, but not unheard of. Stiltner said he has seen a few over the years.
For comparison, in the three other fire districts in Middle Township, only one has a contested race this year. In Fire District No. 4, covering Goshen, three people are on the ballot for two seats.
There are no contested races in the three fire districts in Lower Township or the four in Upper Township this year. In Dennis Township, which has three fire districts, there is one contested race between Tami Kern and Joshua Pantelione, in the Belleplain Fire District, one of three districts in that municipality.
See the full list of fire election races at https://bit.ly/2RqsdEx.
The five-member fire commission, in Rio Grande, is an elected body that oversees the annual budget and other matters for the fire company. It is a separate entity from the volunteer fire company.
This year, voters will also decide whether to support the fire district’s budget, which is set to raise $718,458 in local taxes.
Fire district elections see notoriously low turnout. A 2014 report from the New Jersey Comptroller’s Office found that less than 2% of registered voters cast a ballot in fire district elections, even though the total spending by fire commissions statewide amounts to hundreds of millions of dollars.
The relatively low-wattage general election, in 2011, saw a 27% turnout, and the 2012 presidential election had a 67% turnout.
In 2020, with Robert Zimmerman and Conrad Johnson uncontested on the ballot, 175 people voted in Middle Township Fire District No. 2 – Rio Grande.
That year, with voting mostly by mail and a highly contested presidential race, Cape May County saw a voter turnout of more than 77% in November, according to county records.
To contact Bill Barlow, email bbarlow@cmcherald.com.
