Politics & Government

Meet the Candidates: AC Dienoff Running For O'Fallon Fire Board Director

Dienoff is one of three candidates running for the six-year term director position on the O'Fallon Fire Protection District Board.

AC Dienoff is one of three candidates running for the six-year term director position on the  Board in the April 2012 election. To help you prepare for the April 3 election, we have Q&A's from the candidates who responded to our email questionnaire. The candidates are run in alphabetical order.

Editor's Note: O'Fallon Patch sent two emails to each candidate as reminders for deadline. AC Dienoff notified Patch this afternoon that he did not receive the questionnaire. We apologize for any inconvenience. 

AC Dienoff: Candidate for O'Fallon Fire Board Director

Where do you live? In the O’ Fallon Fire Protection District serving all of the residents and not a select group of people.  

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What is your current job? Community Manager and Public Advocate  

Relevant Experience:  Community, Civic-minded and talented. College Educated in Business Administration/Management. Have worked/been appointed at the Municipal, Township, County and State Levels of government. Have managed multi-million dollar organizations, saving taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars. Constantly working for the best of public safety services, making sure you are the first priority and focus. Always seeking your input through Public Hearings. Include/inform the public through the District’s Website and Board Meetings. Will mandate that taxpayers retain control of the District at all times.  

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Why are you running for Director of O’Fallon Fire Board? I am running for the position of Fire Director because the 90,000 residents of the District must retain total and sole control of Fire Protection District. This District belongs to all of us. The employee union of the professional fire fighters association is trying to gain control of the three member fire board by spending $40,000 for a job that pays $2,400 annually. The employees have no right to control the Board of Director’s. It just is not right. If the union gets control of the board, they will bankrupt the district. There are NO fire fighters in the O.F.P.D. All of the employees are classified as engineers which means an increase in wages of $10,000 to $15,000 annually. I am running to provide financial patience, balanced budgets and sound, common-sense management decisions are needed to be made. The district employees need to live like the rest of our community. The employees have great working conditions, a new fire truck is on the way that is $250,000 over budget, a new fire will be constructed on Pieper Road. The Central Fire Station will be renovated into an Administration Center and Training/Maintenance Facility. Each employee makes an average salary of $90,000, plus overtime, great health benefits and unheard of super Pension Fund. What troubles me the most are the irresponsible decisions of the Board of Director’s: 

  1. Allowing employees to be called in on overtime to remove any snow accumulation.  
  2. Each employee was brought an extra-large “Sleep Number” Bed when only 1/3rd of the beds will be used on a nightly basis.
  3. At the last meeting of the Board on March 14th, the Board approved $5,000 in lien purchases. What is next I ask? A maid service? A laundry service? Bed making and turn down service? A lawn service to cut the grass? A meal service? What more can the employees ask for? A bi-weekly food allowance? Enough is enough! The fire fighters, the union and the employees have NO right and no business trying to control and change the Board of Director’s, the legislative body of the Fire District.   

What do you think that you can bring to this position?

  1. Restore honesty, accountability and common-sense responsibility back to        the Administration and every taxpayer. Keeping an equal balance            between the residents/taxpayers and the employee union. Keep firefighters safe by upgrading equipment using current tax rate.
  2. Releasing /disclosing public documents, information and financial reports        complying with State Law/Chapter #321.
  3. Ballot vote of the people, expanding three member board to five allowing      fair representation of 80,000 residents. Additional Fire Prevention,          Lowering I.S.O. Rating resulting in saving for homeowners.  


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