When Andrew DeMartin was originally elected onto the Manhasset-Lakeville Fire and Water District Board of Commissioners in May of 2008, the 28-year veteran firefighter said he brought a distinct way of thinking to his new position.
“There was an old-line school of thinking with prior commissioners that had this long-term entrenchment into the way to do things,” DeMartin recalled. “I think I kind of look at things a little differently coming from a different past and a newer-line thinking.”
Although he is now the senior-most member of the board of commissioners, DeMartin hopes to maintain that fresh way of operating, which he said has produced meaningful results for the district.
DeMartin, a lifelong resident of Great Neck, is running against three challengers for re-election in the Manhasset-Lakeville Fire and Water District Board of Commissioners election on Dec. 13.
“Absolutely, the board needs some continuity,” DeMartin said. “Me being the 3-1/2 year experienced member of the board, there’s still issues that we’re dealing with that are seven or eight years old.”
“I have the most experience,” he added. “I think it’s very important to keep myself there as well as trying to keep a continuity of board members, so we can start getting on a path of not going in different directions, but getting on the same page and producing good quality for our district members.”
The bedrock of DeMartin’s experience as a public servant is fostered through his service with the Great Neck Vigilant Fire Company.
During his time as a volunteer firefighter, DeMartin has served as chief of the company and as Vigilant’s chairman of the board of trustees. He previously worked as chairman of the 8th Battalion and was chairman of the Emergency Operations Center of the Nassau County 8th Battalion.
“I have an extended fire background,” DeMartin said. “I wasn’t just a member of Vigilant. I was the chairman of the board. I was the chief. I was the commissioner of the Nassau County Fire Commission and the chairman of that. I was on the fire commission for eight years, so I’ve always been involved in the fire aspect of it.”
With his extensive experience as a firefighter, however, it was the other side of working as a Manhasset-Lakeville Fire and Water District commissioner, which initially sparked DeMartin’s interest in the position.
“I’ve always been interested in the water district,” DeMartin said. “It’s one of those few local government entities that actually produces a product. The water side had peeked my curiosity for years.”
DeMartin has since added to his duties as a public servant when he was appointed by the Town of North Hempstead in January to serve as the commissioner of public safety. In that position, he is responsible for managing a variety of departments within the town, including code enforcement, the division of harbor and marine, the office of emergency management and town security, along with the animal shelter.
“Not only have I been able to accomplish a lot, but this whole local government is in a transition period of being scrutinized by bigger government a lot, sometimes trying to be capitalized by bigger government,” DeMartin said. “I think we’ve done a lot to make a statement that local government should be here in the future and have local jurisdiction.”
“I’ve been a big advocate of protecting local government,” he added. “I’m going to continue on that path whether I’m elected or not.”
As a member of the Manhasset-Lakeville Fire and Water District Board of Commissioners, DeMartin has been faced with the challenge of taking on new capital projects within the district.
“The district’s 100-years old,” DeMartin said. “There are a lot of capital improvements that are needed on a 100-year old district. We’re really fortifying ourselves to take on the next 100 years.”
If elected to a second term on the board of commissioners, DeMartin hopes to continue work to build a new water main for the Manhasset area. He also plans to replace the Muncie Park tank, which has been in place since 1925.
“Those are two projects probably worth $5 million when you get down to it, if not plus, that we’re looking forward to do over the next three to five years,” DeMartin said. “We’ve taken the position of doing things for ourselves because we don’t believe that county services are going to help us in the near future.”
DeMartin said he also plans to work with his fellow commissioners to update equipment for the fire and EMS departments.
“We are trying to keep the capital purchases in-line with the budget,” DeMartin said. “In the past, there was a lot of keep-the-budget-down-at-all-cost thinking, the budget was very short. In the last 20 years, the increases probably should have been bigger in order to keep pace with the pricing of fire trucks. It has not been.”
Over the past five years alone, the cost of fire trucks and other fire fighting apparatuses have risen between 30 and 40 percent in price, DeMartin said.
“There was some practices here that, I would say, needed to change to get with the times,” he said. “We’ve taken the bull by the horns and changed those. We look forward to continuing what the old board did very well, which was keep rates down and do a modest portion of the capital products that they can accomplish without overburdening the taxpayer.”
DeMartin said the proof that he will be able to do just that should come from his vast experience as a public servant.
“I’ve done a lot for the community,” DeMartin said. “I want to continue to do a lot for the community. I think I’m the right choice. I’m well known in the community and sometimes being well known in the community is an advantage to getting things done.”
