Meet the Estero Fire Board Commissioners
Commissioner Dick Schweers has been on the Board of Estero Fire Rescue since August of 1997 and currently serves as the Board’s Chairman. Commissioner Schweers worked for Northern Illinois Gas for 37 years before retiring as a District Superintendent in 1992. During his last 5 years with NiGas, he served as Chairman on the Board of Commissioners of the Lisle-Woodridge Fire Protection District in Northern Illinois. Commissioner Schweers currently resides in Fountain Lakes, is a member of the Estero Historical Society and is past-President and current Secretary of the Notre Dame Club of Southwest Florida.
Commissioner Frank Messana, a native Floridian, was elected to the Estero Fire District's Board in November 2008. Commissioner Messana has served as the president of the Republican Club of Bonita and Estero and a Republican Precinct Committeeman. Commissioner Messana has also served as an appointed member to Lee County's affordable housing committee and currently resides in Colonial Oaks where he has served as Vice President of the homeowner’s association as well as the community’s primary representative to the ECCL.
Since 2005 Commissioner Philp has been active in the Shadow Wood Community Association in a finance capacity beginning with the transition of community control from the Bonita Bay Group. Following the transition in 2006, he was the Treasurer for the Association for three years as well as the Finance Chair for the Brooks Council of Presidents. Over the years he has worked with the Supervisors of Community Development Districts I and II and is currently on the Finance Committee for the Shadow Wood Community Association Board of Directors.
He and his wife Kay live in Shadow Wood at the Brooks where they have been full time residents since 2002. He was appointed to the EFR Board of Commissioners in November 2009 following the unfortunate passing of Commissioner Sam Levy.
Born in Ireland, Sean James emigrated to the USA at age 20. Graduating from Manhattan College with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration he worked with Price Waterhouse in public accounting for 3 years before joining Black & Decker. Initially working in progressive areas of financial control for 7 years; he progressed into General Management where for the next 8 years he was responsible for the strategic direction and operational control of three different business divisions. In addition, he had financial control for the restructuring and re-alignment of all operations in Australasia, and in South America.
Following his seventeen years with Black & Decker, he was recruited as President & CEO of Wagner Spray Tech in Minneapolis where, over the next 15 years, he grew and broadened the business base in the consumer, contractor, and industrial markets.
Since retiring in February 2003 Sean has been active in general business consulting, as a Commissioner on the Estero Fire Rescue Board, on the Board of Acme Manufacturing in Denver, CO, as well as being active in activities at his church and an active member of the Knights of Columbus.
He is happily married to his wife Catherine for 44 years and they have two sons.
Commissioner Fred Partin was appointed to the Estero Fire Rescue Board in February 2010. He has served as the Executive Director of Bonita Springs Utilities since 1981, leading the not-for-profit utility through three decades of growth and progress. The Bonita Springs Area Chamber of Commerce honored Commissioner Partin as its 1991 Director of the Year and in 1998 he was named Citizen of the Year. He is currently a trustee of the CREW Land & Water Trust and also serves as Chairman of the Foundation of the Rotary Club of Bonita Springs. Commissioner Partin holds a bachelor's degree in public administration from Barry University.