In August of 2010, when Fire Commissioner Dean Westerman announced his retirement, the Board of Fire Commissioners requesting applications from interested parties to fill the vacated position of fire commissioner. Several letters of interest were received by the fire district. Commissioners Madison and Wells interviewed four candidates for the position before making their final decision. On October 18, 2010, Mr. Kennith Wilson of Springdale was sworn in as the third member of the Board of Fire Commissioners. By law, the position assumed by Mr. Wilson must be placed on the election ballot during the next general election, which will be held in November of this year.
In an effort to get to know our new commissioner, in January of 2011, Bob Given met Commissioner Wilson at fire district headquarters in Clayton. The following is a summary of their conversation:
Question: What is your background?
Answer: I am happily married to my wife, Michelle and have three lovely daughters. I was an “Army brat”, born in Maine, but I was only there for a short period of time. On my first birthday I was on a boat with my family on the way to Germany. We moved all over the place.
I graduated from high school in Oak Grove, Missouri, where I joined the army. I trained as an airborne ranger and went to lots of exotic places like the DMZ in Korea. I was in the 82nd Airborne in 1990 during the first Gulf War and the Persian Gulf War under Bush 41. I also spent some time in Panama and Haiti. I retired in 1997 while stationed in Hawaii after 21 years in the service.
I remained in Hawaii and worked as an advocate for disadvantaged populations. I got into this field mainly because our daughter has cerebral palsy. I worked with parents who had children who were in special education or were developmentally disabled. I conducted workshops to educate and advocate for the mentally ill. I was Executive Director of the Mental Health Association and wrote grants, responsible for strategic planning. I was also involved in assisting civilian employers and servicemen in Employment Support for the Guard and Reserve (ESGR).
In June of 2009 I moved to Springdale and worked for a non-profit organization which helped find employment for the developmentally disabled.
As far as education goes, I have a BS degree and a Masters Degree in Organizational Management.
Question: Where do you live in the fire district?
Answer: I live about 11 miles west of Springdale, about as far away as you can get without being out of the fire district.
Question: What made you decide to apply for a position as fire commissioner?
Answer: Basically I wanted to get more involved in the community. When I first moved here, especially for the first six months, lots of people helped me get settled, like digging a well and getting the pump going or just being neighborly, and I want to give back to the community by supporting fire protection. I have a great deal of respect for first responders and I really like what the Chief is doing and want to support him and the important work the fire district does.
Question: What experience do you bring to the board of fire commissioners?
Answer: I have a lot of experience in grant writing, policy formation, strategic planning, budget analysis and fiscal management. I have never been a firefighter or EMS person, so I bring a fresh prospective as a citizen and taxpayer, sort of a check and balance to the fire district. I also have a lot of experience working within a volunteer organization.
Question: What are some of your ideas about improving the fire district?
Answer: In this era of tight budgets I think we need to look closely at multi-purpose or dual purpose vehicles, a water tender that could also be used as a pumper. However, I am looking at this as a fiscal issue, I am not sure what impact this may have with the delivery of services to our community. I would also like to encourage recruitment of more volunteers to join the fire district, especially in an area like Ford, which currently has no volunteers. I would also like to get away from the North/South division of the fire district. We are one district with great volunteers and staff.
Question: Do you intend to run for your position as fire commissioner during the 2011 election? And, if so, how do you intend to reach the public and let them know about yourself and your qualifications to retain your position on the board of fire commissioners?
Answer: I absolutely intend to run in November. I would introduce myself to the public at community events and meetings such as Chambers of Commerce, Granges, and events such as rodeos, neighbor days, parades and homeowners’ association meetings. Also, use the fire districts newsletter to let the public know about some of my ideas. Let the public know about all those things which have been accomplished since the last levy was passed, and all those things which we would still like to accomplish, and how the district is wisely spending taxpayers’ dollars.
As a final note, I thought that Commissioner Wilson was down-to-earth, very qualified for the job and sincerely interested in serving the community and the fire district.
Bob Given
Fire District #1 Liaison