The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
New commissioner elected
CROMWELL — Charles Epstein emerged victorious in voting to fill a vacancy on the Board of Fire Commissioners.
In October, Epstein lost a bid for re-election to another full term on the board , finishing fourth in a threeway race. But Monday, he out polled his opponent William Drew 131-75 to fill out the remaining 10 months of the former district President Craig Murphy’s term. He resigned from the nine-member board in late September, citing an increased workload from his employer, Pratt & Whitney.
Commissioners are elected to three-year terms on a rotating basis.
Two hours of voting was held in the atrium of Town Hall. By coincidence, both the Democratic and Republican town committees were holding their regular monthly meetings in the building at the same time.
Epstein has long been active in emergency medical service training in the region. “I don’t want to boast, but I am very thankful this opportunity. The people came out, and they voted to give me the chance to finish some of the jobs we had started. There’s lots of work to be done,” he said.
“The Fire Department is a very important part of the town of Cromwell and we need to let the taxpayers know what (their) tax dollars are being spent on, and also let the residents of Cromwell know of the people who give of themselves every day,” and especially “when someone is having the worse day of their life” (during a fire),” Epstein said.
“I wish my opponent the very best in his professional career,” he added
Drew is a lieutenant with the Naugatuck Fire Department. He previously served as a volunteer for the Cromwell Fire Department. Standing with his wife, Amanda, and their two daughters, Kellie and Abbie, Drew said the idea of being a firefighter “had never crossed my mind” until he and Amanda Drew moved to Cromwell.
The department was looking for volunteers, and “I thought it was maybe something that I give it a shot. I went to a couple of drills, and I was hooked,” he said. His commitment to firefighting only increased after the Drews’ condominium unit was damaged by a fire in 2014.
Following the vote, Epstein was sworn in by LeRoy D. Brow, president of the Board of Fire Commissioners. Brow commended Drew and Epstein, saying “They both did an excellent job” in the campaign.
With the board back at full strength, Brow said the board “will move forward and continue to do the best we can for the voters and residents of the town of Cromwell.”