Six of the eight candidates running for the Sedona Fire District Governing Board fit into two different political camps.

Three of the candidates are running on fiscal responsibility. Three are running on retaining services based on facts. The remaining two candidates are running independently.

Three seats come open in November.

Dave Blauert, Joe Demme and Phyllis Erick said they are running their campaign on making the district more fiscally accountable.

Ty Montgomery, Douglas Fitzpatrick and Dick Fishel are running on a platform of fiscal responsibility based on facts, according to the candidates.

Incumbent Bert Berkshire and Mel Rycus are running independent of other candidates.

The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 2. The election is a not mail-in.

Mel Rycus

Rycus, 80, has lived in the Village of Oak Creek for 27 years after moving from the city of Orchard Lake Village, Mich.

He said his experience as past president of the Kiwanis and the Sedona- Verde Valley Association of Realtors, as well as serving as mayor in his hometown, helped prepare him for a Sedona Fire District Governing Board seat.

He ran his own real estate business — Rycus Realty — for years before merging
with another group six years ago.

Rycus said he has been involved in numerous organizations in his life and thinks being an SFD board member is another endeavor he wants to pursue.

Common sense needs to prevail on decisions being made by the Governing Board, he said.
“I just think it’s like picking sides,” Rycus said. “We got a lot of angry people nowadays.”

Phyllis Erick

Erick, 59, who moved to Sedona in 2006 from California with her husband of 40 years, is running on a platform of fiscal responsibility.

She has worked in an ophthalmology office for 20 years scheduling surgeries, and worked on the Relay For Life and Casino Royale fundraiser for the high school.

“I am a taxpayer and want to see what is involved in the [fire district],” she said.
Helping and protecting the taxpayers of Sedona to ensure their money is being used properly is crucial, she said.

She also said it is nice to run with two other candidates sharing the same vision, mentioning she met Demme after hearing and liking what he had to say at a Governing Board meeting. Erick said Blauert collaborated with them, and they think they make a good team.

“We have a good department, but with our input and working together we can make it better,” she said.

Douglas Fitzpatrick

Fitzpatrick, 62, a lawyer, has lived in the Village of Oak Creek for 28 years after moving up from Phoenix.
He was raised in New Jersey and earned his law degree in Chicago.

Some residents approached and asked him to consider running for an SFD Governing Board seat, Fitzpatrick said.

He added serving on the board requires a careful study of pros and cons on the issues, and he thinks his legal background would be beneficial.

“The experience I have had as an attorney will help,” he said. “The city of Sedona has been good to me, and I want to give back.”

Another reason he decided to run is out of gratitude to the district for rescuing his wife and for firefighters being able to keep flames away from a building he owned when a nearby manufactured home burned to the ground.

Bert Berkshire

Berkshire, 79, moved to the Village of Oak Creek 12 years ago from San Diego and became involved in local politics.

After serving 20 years in the military, Berkshire began a career in finances and budgets. He said this helped him become a better Governing Board member.

“It’s what I bring to the board and what I have brought to the board the last [18 months],” he said. “We have helped bring financial stability. I think there is a lot more I can help them with, and I enjoy it.”

Berkshire is running as an independent candidate because he does not want to be beholden to anyone or any group that is backing his candidacy.

When you run as a slate, he said, you are obligated to interests of others that may not be the best for the district.

Dave Blauert

Blauert, 67, has lived in Sedona for 49 years, and he moved to Arizona from a small town in Minnesota.
Blauert said he has a lot time on his hands and feels his background as a longtime businessman is something he could bring to the board.

“I thinks it’s a business that deserves to be run like a business,” he said.

A general contractor, Blauert was involved with building the Sedona Community Pool, Sedona Teen Center, Jack Malmgren Memorial Skate Park, and ball fields at Posse Grounds Park along with other projects.

He said he decided to run on a slate with Erick and Demme because all three believe the district should be held accountable.

“That is what we are going to run on,” he said.

Dick Fishel

Fishel, 69, moved to Sedona in 2001 after selling his human resources specialist company in Phoenix.

After working in human resources for numerous companies, he opened Fishel HR Associates and contracted its services to major corporations before selling.

He also served as a Governing Board member for three months as a temporary replacement, and added it gave him some insight on what needs to be done.

This experience allowed Fishel to sit in on management committees, and he believes his past experience would help the fire district.

He said he also is running because he does not like the practices and decision making of the current board.

Ty Montgomery

Montgomery, 41, who has lived in the Village for five years after moving from Phoenix, is a nurse practitioner and owner of his own practice.

Before going into the medical profession, Montgomery was a paramedic and firefighter and believes this experience would benefit the Governing Board and district.

Transparency of fire district operations, improving response times and making sure reserves are properly utilized are things he would like to work on as a board member.

He said he is running on a slate with Fishel and Fitzpatrick because they have the same visions on what the board and district should look like.

Joe Demme

Demme, 68, who moved to Sedona from Chicago in 2006, wanted to get more involved in the community and thought the SFD Governing Board was the best way to start.

After living in Indonesia and Russia for business purposes, which focused on finances, he has helped other organizations in this area.

He thinks his finance background would be beneficial to SFD.

He said he met Blauert a while back and knew Erick, and they determined their beliefs involving the fire district were similar.

“We talked and decided to run as a slate,” Demme said.