Fire commissioner elections in Franklin Square, Elmont

Elections for fire district commissioner in the Elmont Fire District and the Franklin Square and Munson Fire District will be held on Dec. 12.

The Franklin Square and Munson Fire District elections will take place at the firehouse located at 841 Liberty Place in Franklin Square from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. The Elmont Fire District elections will be held at fire district headquarters located at 95 Lehrer Ave. in Elmont from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Both the Franklin Square and Munson Fire District and Elmont Fire District are made up of five commissioners who each serve a five-year term. Elections for these positions are held once every five years.

Teddy Braun, current fire district commissioner for the Franklin Square and Munson Fire District, is up for reelection and is running unopposed. Braun was elected to the position last December for a one-year term to replace the late fire commissioner Joseph Torregrossa, who died in March 2022 after he was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia and prostate cancer in 2014.

Braun joined the fire department in 1984 and moved up the ranks, from lieutenant to captain to chief. He currently holds the safety officer position.

“It’s a pretty long, extended time in the department between my grandfather and I,” Braun said. His grandfather, also Teddy Braun, was a part of the fire department for more than 50 years and was an honorary chief.

“I just kind of followed in his footsteps,” Braun said.

As fire commissioner, Braun said he looks out for the best interests of the fire department. He ensures that everything that needs to get done within the department is accomplished to keep the community safe.

“I get to make the community a better place and the fire department a better place, and there’s no better place to be than a commissioner doing that,” he said. “Serve the people and serve the fire department, I mean, that’s how I look at it. I work for them.”

Andrew Bohnet, who has served as a fire commissioner for the Elmont Fire District since his election in 1998, is up for reelection next Tuesday. He joined the fire department in 1979 as a firefighter.

His uncle, Bob Rottkamp who was a fireman and commissioner in the East Meadow Fire District, is who inspired Bohnet to join the ranks of the fire department. He said he looks to his uncle for helpful information and guidance.

If reelected, Bohnet plans to maintain the department’s upkeep and invest in new equipment such as new fire trucks.

“Within our budget constraints, we provide the best service we can,” Bohnet said. “My thing is making sure that the fireman go home safe and that nobody gets hurt.”