In a closely watched commissioner election, Gordon Heights residents continued their long-running push to overhaul one of Long Island’s highest-taxed fire districts, electing candidates who promised to expand grant funding and resist any return to what many describe as the “old guard” of tax-and-spend leadership.
Carter Brown was re-elected to a five-year term unopposed, receiving 110 votes. The more heated contest was for the two years remaining on the term of beloved Commissioner Joyce Bourne-Boyd, who passed away earlier this year after more than a decade of reform-minded service. In a tight race, community advocate Tracy Gibbs defeated Avery Dean, 72–65.
“It came down to seven votes on one of the coldest nights of the year,” said longtime resident Rosalie Hanson. “But these races matter. The people who care enough to come out are the ones shaping the future of this district.”
Hanson said the election marked another step in residents’ nearly 20-year effort to rein in taxes by replacing entrenched leadership with commissioners committed to modern management and outside funding. “Avery was part of the old regime that was just taxing and spending,” she said. “We finally have a solid board dedicated to running the fire district efficiently and finding grants to help the taxpayers.”
That strategy has produced tangible results. Between 2023 and 2025, commissioners secured more than $470,000 in grants — including funding for a new ambulance, a roof replacement, recruitment and retention programs, and lifesaving medical equipment. Hanson credits former State Sen. Kenneth LaValle, along with the late Joyce Bourne-Boyd and former Commissioner Alex Hanson, for setting the district on a new course years ago. “That first $250,000 grant changed everything,” she said. “People realized we weren’t against the fire department, just the taxes.”
Though Gordon Heights remains among the highest-taxed districts, Hanson said the reforms have kept costs stable. “The grants pay for what we need without reaching deeper into people’s pockets,” she said. “Last night’s election showed our community isn’t going backward.”