Stillwater District Fire Commissioners for 2010

Left to right Mike Handerhan, Tom Rinaldi Sr., Anthony Ponzillo, Nick Maciariello, and Bill Doughty

Stillwater District Commissioner Profiles

Anthony Ponzillo

 Board member Anthony Ponzillo has served on the Board for 20 years and currently serves as the Chairman of the Board.

 Anthony or “Ponzi” as he is known to his friends and family, has been a member of the Arvin Hart Fire Company for 28 years and has served as Company President, Lieutenant and is currently a certified Safety Officer.

 Anthony’s full time job is a Project Craftsman, welder with Momentive Materials in Waterford where he has worked for 36 years.  Ponzi graduated from the Mechanicville Public School in 1972 and has an Associates Degree in Agricultural Mechanics from SUNY Cobleskill.  Anthony brings a knowledge of mechanical engineering, welding, building construction and equipment maintenance to his position as a Board member.  Ponzi has also served the community by assisting the Community Center in its early days by assisting in the engineering and building of the popular Halloween haunted house exhibits.  He is also a member of the Harley Owners Group and is a member of the Association of Fire District’s Capital Area.

 When Ponzi is not working he enjoys cruising on his special edition Fire Fighter Harley and boating with friends on the scenic Hudson River or tinkering with his home build hot rod.

Anthony has been a town resident for 33 years and resides on Dorchester Drive with his wife Barbara.

Barb Comitale

Secretary Barb Comitale has served on the Board for 11 years and is one of two paid positions at an annual salary of $4,000.

Barb’s full time job as a Secretary in the Guidance Office at Stillwater Central School brings a wealth of knowledge of the community as well as an understanding of personnel issues.  She often acts as a liaison with the School District.  Barb is a graduate of the HVCC dental assistant program.

When Barb is not working she enjoys gardening and vacationing.

Barb has been a town resident for 20 years and resides on Towpath Road with her husband Joe.

Barb has great respect for the community’s fire fighters and is often heard saying, “ I don’t know how you guys do it!”

Bill Doughty

Commissioner Bill Doughty has served on the Board for 3 years and is the youngest commissioner on the Board.  Bill has served as a fire fighter with the Arvin Hart Fire Company for 16 years.  He has also served as President of the Fire Company.

Bill’s full time job as a heavy equipment operator for the Town of Stillwater brings a wealth of knowledge of construction practices as well as an understanding of the highway infrastructure within the town to the fire company and the Board.  Bill often acts as a liaison with the Town Highway Department on matters concerning the fire district.  Bill is a graduate of Stillwater Central School.

When Bill is not working or helping out around the fire stations, he enjoys hunting and entertaining his 2 children.

Bill has been a town resident for 34 years and resides on County Route 75 with his 2 children.

Dave Waters

Treasurer Dave Waters has served on the Board for 11 years and is one of two paid positions with an annual salary of $6,000.

Dave has also been a member of the Arvin Hart Fire Company for 29 years and has served as Fire Company Treasurer, Vice President, and is a nationally certified fire safety officer.

Dave’s full time job as the Director for Facilities for the Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex positions Dave with knowledge related to facilities management, construction and financial management.  Dave has also served the community as the Charter President of the Stillwater PTA and has served as a member of the Board of Education.

When Dave is not working he enjoys cruising on his Harley and an occasional round of golf.

Dave has been a town resident for 32 years and resides on Dorchester Drive with his wife Linda.

Mike Handerhan

Commissioner Mike Handerhan has been a member of the Arvin Hart Fire Company for 15 years and served 5 years with the Round Lake Hose Company before moving to Stillwater.  Mike has served on the Board of Fire Commissioners for 8 years and is in his second 5 year term.  Mike previously served as a safety officer with the fire company.

Mikes full time job prepares him well for service as a Board member.  Mike has been a Buildings and Grounds Supervisor with the Town of Clifton Park for 20 years.  Mike is responsible for the supervision of staff as well as purchase of equipment and material.  As a Board member Mike is well positioned and has been appointed to the Apparatus Committee.  Mike holds an Associates Degree from SUNY Cobleskill.

Away from the fire station Mike’s hobbies include camping with his family and drumming.

Mike has resided in the Town of Stillwater for 17 years and currently resides in the Gurba Subdivision with his wife Lori and 2 children.

Nick Maciariello

Commissioner Nick Maciariello has been a Commissioner for 6 years and was re-elected for a second 5 year term beginning in 2009.  Nick has been an active fire fighter for 33 years, beginning his service with the Riverside Fire Department which was merged into the Stillwater Fire District in 2002.  As a member of the Riverside department Nick held every line officer position except Chief.  Nick also served as the Riverside Fire Department treasurer for 24 years.  As a member of the Arvin Hart Fire Company Nick currently serves as Company Vice President.

Nick’s full time job as Project Manager and Chief Estimator with Multi Phase Construction Corp, prepares him well as a District Commissioner with experience with budgets, estimating projects, dealing with the bidding process as well as experience with bonding and insurance.  As a Board member he has been appointed to the Buildings and Grounds committee.  Nick has an Associates Degree in Accounting.

When he gets some time away from the fire station Nick enjoys golf and a round of darts as well as traveling with his family.

Nick has resided in the Town of Stillwater for 33 years and currently resides in Riverside with his wife Marybeth.

Tom Rinaldi

Commissioner Tom Rinaldi has been a Commissioner for 5 years.  Tom has been in the fire service for 40 years. Tom has been a member of the Arvin Hart Fire Co, the Forestville Fire Department in Forestville, MD and the Glenn Dale Fire Association in Glenn Dale, MD.  Tom also served as a career fire fighter with the Bethesda Maryland Fire Department.  As a member of the Arvin Hart Fire Company he has served as Lieutenant, Captain, Assistant Chief, Deputy Chief and Chief.

Tom’s full time job prepares him well for the Board, Tom has served 11 years with the State Emergency Management Office and 12 years as a Fire Safety Technician and Codes Coordinator with SUNY Albany.  Tom has supervised staff, prepared budgets, written grants and has managed several construction projects.  Previously with the Town of Stillwater, Tom served as the Code Enforcement Officer, 911 Coordinator and has been a member of the Planning and Zoning Boards.  As a consultant Tom has facilitated fire apparatus needs assessments for other local fire departments.  As a Board member he has been appointed to the Apparatus committee.  Tom holds a Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration from Niagara University with a Certificate in Fire Science from Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland.

When Tom gets away from duties around the fire house, he enjoys traveling and seeing his grand children in Virginia, growing fresh tomatoes, cooking and just relaxing.  He also pens an occasional article for fire service journals.

Tom has resided in the town for all but 7 of 59 years and currently resides on County 76 with his wife, sons Tony and TJ Jr. who is also a fire fighter, EMT and a member of the National Guard.