Dreikorn appointed to vacant Fire Board seat
At a special meeting held on Wednesday, Sept. 16, the Matlacha Pine Island Fire Control District Board unanimously appointed Michael Dreikorn to seat 5, for the remainder of the term. The seat was vacated when former Commissioner Ken Cox retired.
Dreikorn was one of two candidates to submit a resume and give a short presentation to the board preceding the appointment, in which he said not to allow the fact that he’d previously served on the same board to be the sole decision maker, as they had two qualified applicants.
“That being said, I love my community,” said Dreikorn, “I’ve sacrificed a lot in order to do things for our community and my commitment to this community is unwavering.”
When asked to name his strongest attributes, Dreikorn listed critical thinking among his leading assets, saying he challenges everything in front of him and makes it his duty to educate himself.
In addition to critical thinking, he said he would apply his experience and expertise with decision-making and executive acumen into the role, and while he said he understands this is not necessarily, by the definition of Florida Statute, a constitutional position, he said, it is about not infringing on people’s rights and liberties not to take advantage of the community.
Retired CEO Gordon Short, who was also seeking the appointment, told the board he has a background in economics. His interest in the seat, he said, stemmed from the awareness that 25 percent of his tax bill went to the fire district.
“I’ve met with the chief and assistant chief twice to go over some of the details,” said Short, who admits he would likely have a view contrary to the rest of the board on some current issues, which he said is helpful in looking at every option when making decisions.
Chair Commissioner Tonya Player urged Short to continue to show the board his support by attending upcoming meetings.