This year’s race for the East Pierce Fire and Rescue Board of Fire Commissioners pits incumbent commissioners against each other as the board begins to contract to its normal size after years of expansion.

Due to the growth of the district in the past decade, the East Pierce Board of Commissioners has grown to 11 members – more than double the number prescribed by law (the board began the year with 12, but Commissioner Andrew Longstreth resigned this spring). Because of that, several seated members are forced to run against each other this fall as the board is now forced to contract.

As prescribed by state law, when fire districts merge or annex, all of that district’s fire commissioners are allowed to keep their roles. As elections occur, positions are eliminated through attrition.

The terms of five commissioners are expiring this year, but only two seats will be up for election this year. All seats on the commission are for at-large positions.

Among those whose terms are up is Chairman Rick Kuss, a 21-year veteran of the commission. Kuss, 58, is a former volunteer and retired Puyallup Firefighter who lives on the east side of Lake Tapps.

Kuss will be running unopposed this fall, but said the most significant issue the district faces is finances as the recession has caused East Pierce to lose 16 percent of its budget over the past two years.

According to sources in the department, none of the other commissioners filed to run against Kuss out of respect for his role, which he said he hopes to continue.

“I think I can be really be valuable to the board,” he said.

The race for the other commissioner seat, however, will be a dogfight among three current members of the board and a newcomer.

Commissioners Rick Kilbourn, Ed Egan and Victor Proulx have all filed for the seat as has former Tacoma firefighter Pat McElligot.

Kilboun, 38, has been a commisisoner since 2001. He lives outside South Prairie. Kilbourn also cited finances as a concern, along with keeping a balanced relationship with the labor unions and facility needs. Kilbourn was a volunteer firefighter from 1990 to 2000 and is a local business owner.

“I feel I bring a well-rounded ability to represent the citizens while understanding the needs of the fire service in our community,” he said in an email.

Egan, 68, lives in Edgewood and was a member of the Edgewood Fire Commission when it became part of East Pierce. He has been a commissioner since 2002.

Egan said the top issues facing the district are completion of a strategic action plan to prioritize the needs of the fire stations and to protect them from seismic activity. He also said a long term solution to balance revenues and expenditures was needed.

Egan was a safety manager with Weyerhaeuser before his retirement and his knowledge of safety protocols and procedures were an important addition to the commission.

Proulx, 53, lives south of Bonney Lake near Rhodes Lake and has been a member of the fire commission for six years. Proulx is a longtime business owner and said the most important issue facing the district is balancing the budget to continue to provide excellent fire and medical response in an era of declining revenues.

Proulx said his experience in the private sector gives him the experience necessary to help balance the budget and make the “hard decisions” that will have to be made in the future.

The newcomer to the scene is McElligott, 56, of Orting. McElligott currently works as a fire captain in the Tacoma Fire Department and sits on the Department of Retirement’s advisory board and serves as chairman for the Washington State Investment Board.

McElligott said the biggest issue facing the district is the increase in service requests at a time when revenues are down,

McElligott said he was not running against any of the commissioners but for the position. He said he could bring “fresh eyes” to the problems facing East Pierce and could bring an “outside-of-the-box” perspective. He also said his time as a fire fighter and his work with budgets and consolidations and mergers would help him better serve the district.

The primary election is scheduled for August 16 and the general election is scheduled for Nov. 8.