Candidate for Shelby highway superintendent states his reasons for running

Editor:

I am Dale S. Root, the endorsed Republican candidate running for Shelby Highway Superintendent. I am a 40-year resident of the Town of Shelby. Husband to Helen, father to Kathy, Jess and Joe. Proud grandfather to Haylie, Lexi, Major and Barrett.

With my wife, we are co-owners of Dale S. Root Farms and Dale S. Root Trucking, two vertically integrated  businesses that my daughter Jessica and son Joe will take over at the end of the year.

I will be retiring and stepping down from the day to day operation. I have sound business experiences in budgeting, labor management, a good knowledge of machinery and truck maintenance that I hope will give a new and much needed perspective to the office of Shelby Highway Superintendent. As a business owner, I know what it takes to do more and work with less.

A few issues I have come across that I would like to see changed:

To repair a fractured relationship between the highway superintendent and the town board.  Working together  to analyze issues and create a plausible plan .

The town of Shelby should incorporate the use of our local Iroquois Job Corps, and the Sheriff’s prison worker program. Both of these are free programs that come with supervision, which will free up town personnel to do much needed service on the water districts, road and machinery maintenance, etc. These individuals would be able to mow and maintain the cemeteries along with road side clean up.

Water meter reading issue. We as taxpayers  are paying the town twice to read the meters. Each water district has a $6.75 per meter fee allocated for meter reading that is paid to the appointed water supervisor (highway superintendent), but the meters are read by a town employee at the hourly wage of $25.78. At times, two employees are on the job upon the superintendent’s orders. This costs the taxpayer the meter fee of $6.75 (that goes to the water supervisor) plus the employees’ hourly wage. I would like to work with the town employees on paying the meter read once.

The town has purchased a $30,000 GPS system to map all the water districts, main valves and hydrants so in case the need arises, fire personnel, town employees or contractors have precise coordinates. Currently, this system is not being used.

Another savings to the town is the pension program. I will opt out of the program saving the town  $4,000 in annual contributions.

These are a few things I have discovered in a short period of time, mostly from reading the budgets. These are really not town board issues, but is an administrative issue that belongs to the current highway superintendent .

I am asking for your support.

Dale S. Root

Shelby