I’m proud to have served on the MCFD#1 board for the past four years and am asking for your support in the May 17 election.  Since July of 2007 the Board of Directors for MCFD#1 have:

• Hired a new Fire Chief,
• Completely rewrote our collective bargaining agreement with the union,
• Updated our civil service commission policies and processes,
• Reviewed and updated our board policies,
• Authorized an expanded partnership with Chemekata Community College, and
• Significantly improved our internal financial controls and our internal auditing process.

We also sought out and received voter approval for a $10 million bond levy to replace old & unsafe equipment and upgrade fire stations for the new equipment with a goal of also bringing all our fire stations into compliance with the current Oregon seismic standards for public buildings with essential services.

Bottom line … a lot has happened to reduce costs and through efficiencies improve equipment and services provided to residents.

However, there are some that do not agree with the measures taken. They are not happy that we challenged the status quo and broke up the “good old boy” philosophy of I will scratch your back if you scratch mine and are upset that we held our ground with the union. In fact the union leadership was so upset that they have been trying to get the Chief fired since 2009 and two months ago announced the formation of a union political action committee to defeat board member Orville Downer and me.

I’m proud of what’s been accomplished, proud of the working relationship on the board of directors and proud of our volunteer and career firefighters. While we have accomplished much in the last four years there is still much left to do in order to insure the future financial health of the Fire District. Now is the time to solidify our gains and move the District forward not slide back into the old way of doing things.

I’m not afraid to work tirelessly to continue the positive efforts.  I’m not afraid to call a spade a spade!  I encourage you to listen to my comments at a recent board meeting where I blast specific leaders of local firefighter union for double standard and hypocrisy.

ADDITIONAL BOARD ACTIONS:

The Board of Directors have also given clear direction to our Fire Chief to hold all personnel (career and volunteer), line and management accountable for the responsibilities of their positions.  We want to insure that when our residents need our services they can count on receiving prompt help from well trained personnel. We also recently demanded a no cost contract from our career union employees and held fast on that demand until we got an agreement that prevented any layoffs in our current fiscal year.

We’ve revised our training standards, implemented needed policies and procedures and reduced expenses by creating WFRA to share similar administrative costs with the Turner Fire District.  I want residents to receive the best fire and emergency medical services possible.  All of these efforts are made with that one goal in mind … providing residents the best fire and emergency medical services possible.

Salem - Randy Franke filed for re-election to Marion County Fire District #1 Board of Directors, Position #2, Thursday, March 17, 2011. Franke was first elected May 2007 and currently serves as Chairman of the district’s Board of Directors and is a member of the Willamette Valley Fire & Rescue Authority Board.

“I had the honor of serving Marion County citizens for 24 years as a County Commissioner and gained extensive experience in tackling difficult problems in difficult economic times,” Franke said.

Franke is a Principal with Open Doors Consulting and owner of Franke & Associates. Franke grew up on a family farm in Brooks and graduated from Gervais Union High School, University of Oregon and obtained his Masters Degree from Western Oregon University.

“Like many rural fire districts and small governments, MC FD #1 is faced with limited resources and must be innovative in finding solutions to continue to provide quality fire, emergency medical, and rescue services. I respect and support our dedicated firefighters. It’s important to me, my children, and grandchildren that we continue to improve our community”, Franke continued.

Phillip Goulet, 15 year Clearlake Station Volunteer Firefighter, emphasized “I’ve known Randy all his life. He has served our community with the utmost diligence. He’ll continue the work that protects all persons in the district.”

“We’ve developed an interactive website because it’s important to receive input from the residents we serve. I encourage residents to contact me directly at 503-559-0872 or visit my website at randyfranke.com.” Franke noted.

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