Wolter responds to former Shelby town supervisor’s claims about job performance

Editor:

In response to Mr. Smith’s letter, I wish to clarify that I was not invited to Saturday’s forum.

Shelby’s MEOs don’t have access to the GPS tracking of town vehicles. MEOs can access a vehicle’s service records. There’s a difference.

Contrary to claims, no diesel fuel was ever disposed of in the refuge. While patching on Southwood and Tibbets Roads, I left some blacktop in the turnaround when cleaning out the tailgate. I continued patching throughout the day and forgot about it. It was later cleaned up, and there was no ill intent.

When I was acting water superintendent, I started a spreadsheet to log the work performed in the town’s water districts. It saved time. Prior to that, people wrote everything long hand and later gave it to the water clerk to decipher and type into the system.

The laptop I used worked perfectly fine, and the data was backed up on a flash drive. I didn’t have a problem with the computer. Maybe there was a computer glitch or a lack of technical ability on someone’s part.

For over a year, the public has been told the town can’t generate supervisor reports and other compliance documents because of the software or computer system. Ongoing issues with generating reports seem to be a common theme in Shelby. I don’t think it’s a “me” problem.

I was surprised to read yesterday that I was “relieved” of my duties as water superintendent. I don’t recall it being that dramatic. I was told they needed me to do more repairs in the shop and that’s how I took it. There are meeting minutes online that say the same.

In my 12 years working with the highway department, I believe I have a strong rapport with my colleagues. While the work environment has changed since 2019, it doesn’t affect my job performance.

I have butted heads with the current highway superintendent, particularly on the importance of flushing water lines. I view it as essential for maintaining water quality and preventing bacterial contamination. He thinks it’s a waste of money. This year, water quality tests for Ryan and Salt Works Roads failed multiple times, and calls from concerned agencies were ignored.

It’s telling that the official who profited personally on wind, solar and wastewater, gave us towering windmills, and an influx of wastewater from another county is now trying to discredit me. I must be on the right track.

Bill Wolter

Candidate for Shelby Highway Superintendent