Whitesboro-Oriskany Fire Consolidation Vote Fails

Results are not official but the proposed merger of fire services between the Whitesboro and Oriskany Fire Department was voted down on Tuesday, an official said.

The proposal passed in Oriskany (171-118) and Whitesboro, (247-218), but was defeated in Whitestown by 283 votes (873 to 590), officials said.

It would have created a joint fire district among the the town of Whitestown and villages of Oriskany and Whitesboro, but needed approval in each municipality to move forward.

Whitesboro Mayor Pat O'Connor and John Bialek, the New York Mills Mayor whose village was part of the consolidation discussions in the past year, got it an animated discussion over the vote on the Keeler in the Morning show on Monday.

The Whitesboro mayor accused his counterpart of lying about details of what would come from the merger, after Bialek said he supported and agreed with a concerned citizens group that circulated flyers saying the consolidation would lead to one of the departments being eliminated.

O'Connor is scheduled to join the Keeler show again on Wednesday morning.