Dombkowski, Cammann Compete for Fire District Seat

For the second year in a row, Bridgehampton Fire District voters will have to chose between two volunteers for a seat at the commissioners' table.

There are, in fact, three candidates vying for two seats, but one seat is uncontested.

Two longtime volunteers, Tom Dombkowski, a Bridgehampton Fire Department firefighter who was appointed as a commissioner in September, and Philip Cammann, the sole paramedic with the department's ambulance company, are vying for one seat on the board, according to Charlie Butler, the district secretary.

Dombkowski, a Sagaponack resident, and Cammann, a Bridgehampton resident, are looking to fulfill the last two years of John Muse's unexpired term. Muse resigned in August, and the board of fire commissioners appointed Dombkowski to the seat to finish out the year.

At the same time, the board also appointed Dean Foster to fill a vacancy left by Jeffrey Louchheim, who also resigned after what was a contentious year between the district and the department. Louchheim's term was up at the end of the 2012.

Foster, a former member of the fire department, is running uncontested in December's election for a full five-year term, Butler said. A Sagaponack farmer, he is the son of Cliff Foster, a longtime commissioner who stepped down last year.

While fire commissioner races tend to be quiet, the elections in Bridgehampton have seen several competitive races in recent years. Last year, Ray Topping Jr. won a close race with Bruce Dombkowski, a former fire commissioner who also happens to be Tom Dombkowski's cousin.

Cammann is not a stranger to the district. He ran against Muse once before, losing by just 11 votes.

He is a paramedic staff manager for Southampton Volunteer Ambulance and teaches at Stony Brook University. Tom Dombkowski works as a foreman for the Southampton Town Highway Department.