San Miguel Fire district looking to replace two board members

The seven-member San Miguel Consolidated Fire Protection District Board of Trustees is minus two members and actively seeking to fill the seats.

Mike Vacio and David Pomeranz last Wednesday tendered their resignations from the board of the fire protection district that oversees a nearly $23 million annual budget. of San Miguel Fire. San Miguel is the county’s largest fire district.

On Friday, the board held an emergency meeting to figure out the best way to fill the seats, with Fire Chief Criss Brainard noting that the board has 60 days to make the appointments.

While Vacio has lived in Area 3, because he was elected in 2018, when voting was at-large, the person who fills his seat can come from anywhere in the district. Pomeranz’s Area 4 encompasses northwest Spring Valley and Casa de Oro. Both seats will be for short terms through November 2022.

Brainard said those interested in a board seat should send email with contact information to info@sanmiguelfire.org by July 2 and put in the subject line “candidate or board member interest.” A map of the district is available at https://www.sanmiguelfire.org/service-area and he said for additional questions, candidates can call (619) 670-0500.

The board had previously heard about Vacio’s plan to move to Oklahoma with his family, so his resignation came as no surprise. His last day on the board was June 9.

Vacio, 55, a fire captain with the Alpine Fire Protection District, retired last month after 34 years as a firefighter in San Diego County. During Wednesday’s board meeting, which was held via Facebook Live, a crew from San Miguel showed up at his Rancho San Diego home and presented him with a plaque thanking him for his 6 1/2 years of service to the district.

Pomeranz’s resignation, effecitve June 30, was unexpected. He ran uncontested last November for the Area 4 seat and was to serve through 2024. In a June 9 letter to the board, Pomeranz said:

“Unfortunately, my current housing situation requires me to move outside of the limits of the district I represent. While still present in San Diego County, I will not be able to continue serving my community in this capacity.”

Finding two new trustees may not be an easy task.

Last year, voters weighed in on who they wanted as their representatives in four of seven newly created districts. Members of the Board of Directors used to be selected at-large, but in 2020, voters were asked to weigh in on trustees for areas 1, 2, 4 and 6. (In 2022, areas 3, 5 and 7 have been slated for first-time, by-division voting.)

But last year, nobody had filed nomination papers by the Aug. 7 deadline for area 6, which covers part of the La Presa and Spring Valley areas. In September, an area 6 community member heard about the opening and tapped Jesse Robles to see if he was interested. Robles stepped up and was appointed by the San Miguel board on Dec. 8.

Board President Theresa McKenna said she put the word out and has found a possible person who has expressed interest in the at-large area, Harry Muns. Muns was named the Chula Vista Fire Department chief earlier this year.