New fire commissioners were elected in the towns of Selden and Centereach. Frank Rutilosso, from Centereach, and Dennis Carmen, of Selden, are the new faces of their respective fire departments. Both have lived on Long Island throughout their lives, and now they plan to give back to the communities that elected them.
Selden
Dennis Carmen, 39, joined a fire district embroiled in scandal. Newsday reported in November on elected Selden fire officials spending taxpayer money recklessly at conferences around the country and not providing receipts for their purchases[removed comma] including items such as alcohol, which is non-reimbursable, according to state law.
Morale is low in the firehouse, but Carmen is looking to change that. “I’d like to see a little stronger oversight,” he said. “That means you need good people in the office to run it correctly.”
Carmen has lived his entire life in Selden; he graduated from Newfield High School. His father was a Teamster, his mother a receptionist at a dentist’s office. “I enjoyed my childhood, and I want to go back,” he said. “I had a lot of friends and I knew all my neighbors on the block.”
After graduating, he took an assortment of jobs, including carpentry, electrical and plumbing jobs. “I basically did anything that paid,” he said. Carmen joined the volunteer fire service for the Selden firehouse in 1985, where he has served ever since. He has also maintained a career in law enforcement.
Carmen has not only responded to emergencies in Selden. “I have responded all over Long Island, [also] to the wildfires,” he said. “We responded to Ground Zero.”
Carmen did not comment on the scandal, citing the ongoing investigation into the actions of fire commissioners. He did express concern, however, about the use and abuse of taxpayer dollars. “Every single firefighter here is a taxpayer as well,” he said. “Even firefighters are concerned about taxes.”
Carmen also did not appreciate the public response to the scandal. “Whenever something bad happens in a fire district, they take it out on the fire department,” he said. “They are two separate entities.”
Carmen will serve a five-year term as fire commissioner for a district of over 30,000 people and oversee a budget of over $3 million. He was sworn into office Jan. 1.
Centereach
Frank Rutilosso, of Centereach, has won his first run for elective office. He is taking the Commissioners seat of a more stable firehouse than his counterpart in Selden.
Rutilloso is the son of a Foreman of the AMF. He was born in Brooklyn, but he grew up in Lindenhurst. His mother was a housekeeper.
Rutilosso joined the Navy after high school. “I was in the Service four years,” he said. “I came out of the service, and my friends had joined the Lindenhurst department.”
He joined them “the minute I came back,” and his friends continue to serve in Lindenhurst. “I’m still a benevolent member for North Lindenhurst, but now my focus is only the Centereach Fire Department,” he said.
The election process was more involved than Rutilloso expected. “I thought it was going to be easy,” he said. “This was kind of exciting during the last minute when I was trying to get neighbors and friends to vote.”
Turnout was low, possibly because the election was not held on Election Day in November. “It seems like nobody comes out for these elections,” he said. “Most people don’t understand that they can vote for Fire Commissioner.”
Rutilloso wants to continue the positive legacy of the Centereach firehouse. “I didn’t come in with no mandate for change or any issues,” he said. “I came in just to get back involved with my own community.”
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