Discovery Bay resident Chris Finetti has resigned his seat on the East Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (ECCFPD) Board, citing work responsibilities as his primary reason for stepping down from the voluntary position he has held since January of 2010.

“I’m disappointed that I resigned, but I honestly felt that I had no choice. I own a marketing business and I have to travel often for video shoots, and also work a lot of evenings and weekends when I’m on deadline,” said Finetti. “I just didn’t have enough time in my schedule to give the fire district the attention it deserves, especially in this critical time with the budget and the need to educate the public about the importance of passing an assessment.”

Finetti submitted his resignation to the CSD board on Feb. 16, and CDS President Kevin Graves made the announcement at that evening’s scheduled CSD meeting. “Chris (Finetti) was our representative for East County, but has regrettably had to resign from the board because of other obligations,” said Graves. “So that now leaves us to find another representative.”

And given the challenges facing the fire district, including the closure last summer of stations 57 (Byron) and 58 (Discovery Bay), as well as the district’s ongoing budget crisis, Fire Chief Hugh Henderson is eager to see Finetti’s seat filled. “We’ve got a lot of important things coming up and a lot of tough decisions to make,” said Henderson. “So having the reappointment happen sooner than later would be a good thing.”

Finetti agreed. “My hope,” he said, “is that by resigning now (rather than waiting longer), the new appointee will be able to play an active role in helping to get the word out to the community.”

The open board position will be re-appointed by Contra Costa County Board of Supervisor Mary Piepho (District III). For application information, call the supervisor’s office at 925-240-7260.

The ECCFPD will meet again on Monday, March 7, 6:30 p.m. at 3231 Main St. in Oakley. Meetings are open to the public.