Terryville vols vie for seat on commish board Two-man race in TFD; Gumbus, unopposed, seeks reelection in PJFD
By Dave Willinger	write the author
December 04, 2008 | 12:48 PM Lee Brett and Brendan Pilkington are vying for the position of fire commissioner of the Terryville Fire District, to fill the seat on that five-member board which will be vacant when current chairman Bill Theiss steps down at year's end. In the Port Jefferson Fire District, incumbent Henry Gumbus is running unopposed for another five-year term. Voting in the Terryville Fire District will take place Tuesday, Dec 9, from 2 to 9 pm at the main firehouse on Jayne Boulevard in Port Jefferson Station. Voting in the Port Jefferson Fire District will be held the same day but from 3 to 9 pm at the firehouse on Maple Place. There are no propositions on either ballot. Lee Brett Lee Brett, 43, is a proud member of the Comsewogue graduating class of 1984 and a life-long resident of Port Jefferson Station, where he resides with his wife, Gina, and 18-month-old son, Lee Jr. He promises to "make sure you get the best service from the Terryville Fire Department at the lowest possible costs." Chief of the department for the last eight years, Brett has been a volunteer with Terryville since 1980, when he joined as a junior firefighter, wanting to follow in the footsteps of his father, a lifetime member, according to campaign literature provided to the Port Times Record. Brett works as a firefighter and emergency medical technician at Brookhaven National Laboratory and serves as the Port Jefferson Village fire marshal, a part-time position. Over the years Brett has received a number of awards, including the Medal of Valor from the Suffolk County Fire Rescue Emergency Services, Medal of Valor from the Terryville Fire Department and Firefighter of the Year from the American Legion, Pearl Harbor Post, according to his campaign flyer. Brett is a member of the Knights of Columbus, the Moose Lodge, the Elks, Sons of the Legion and the Port Jefferson Station Terryville Civic Association. Brendan Pilkington "A fresh face" who would "bring fresh ideas" is how Brendan Pilkington sums up his candidacy for Terryville fire commissioner. Pilkington, whose experience as a volunteer firefighter dates back to 1991 with the Plainview department, joined Terryville FD in 2003, where he has achieved the rank of lieutenant and chairs its probationary training committee. "I would like to foster better communication between the Board of Fire Commissioners and two groups we serve: the taxpayers of the Terryville Fire District and the firefighters," Pilkington wrote in an email to the The Port Times Record. "I would also like to move forward with our dispatching and preplan projects that have stalled. These projects will enable the fire department to provide a better service to the community," he wrote. Pilkington is a Port Jefferson Station homeowner, a husband and father of three, who says he is committed to "responsible and forthright spending of our taxpayer dollars." He is a decorated veteran with nine years of service in the U.S. Air Force and two years in the New York Air National Guard. A police officer by profession, Pilkington coaches baseball at St. Gerard's and chairs Terryville Fire Department's annual John Theissen toy drive.