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After serving an unprecedented two consecutive years as district president, Stephen Danziger stepped aside for Craig Jorgens, who was elected to the post for the first time. The board of directors chose Jorgens by a 4-1 margin, with director Greg Baitx casting the lone vote against. Baitx declined to comment on the reason for his negative vote, though the two directors have sparred at previous meetings over full-time staffing of the Fire Station 45 ambulance, which Baitx favored and Jorgens opposed.
Jorgens takes over one of the most high-profile independent special districts in Contra Costa County. According to the county auditor-controller, MOFD is apportioned 21.22% of a district resident's taxpayer dollars, and the district's $29.8 million budget for this fiscal year is larger than the operating budgets of Moraga and Orinda combined.
"As the MOFD board president this term, I'm looking forward to working with our community, firefighters, and fire prevention personnel to allocate this money to support the fire suppression, fire prevention, and the emergency services that keep our community safe," Jorgens said.
In district operations, Fire Chief Dave Winnacker promoted 11-year MOFD veteran Lucas Lambert from captain to battalion chief.
"Lucas is a tremendously talented member whose engagement on a number of internal and external projects and programs stands out amidst an organization full of hard working high achievers. We look forward to seeing this same enthusiasm and capability applied on a larger scale in his new position," Winnacker said.
Lambert will supervise the district operations division. Battalion chiefs Steve Gehling and Jerry Lee, along with Lambert, report directly to the fire chief.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA