“Danby may make highway superintendent an appointed job” |
| Danby may make highway superintendent an appointed job Posted: 22 Aug 2010 04:18 PM PDT There's no Republican way to plow a road, nor Democratic way to pave it, so why involve politics in the selection of highway superintendents? It's a question that will be posed to Danby voters when they go to the polls in November and are presented with a referendum to change the highway superintendent from an elected to an appointed position. Discussed for years, the issue has recently come to the fore with current Highway Superintendent Carl Seamon's announcement that he plans to retire. For town board member Dan Klein, it's a purely practical matter. The position has become increasingly technical and complex, with new state and federal regulations, million-dollar budgets, a staff of eight and a fleet of vehicles to manage, and Klein believes the town should hire someone with the qualifications to handle such administrative tasks. Right now, the only stipulation is that the candidate be an adult Danby resident, which would make most of the department's current workers ineligible. Long-term planning and stability is also somewhat compromised when the office holder has to run every two years, and that political element could also put off some potential candidates, he added. Opponents worry about giving up direct voter oversight, however, and a handful expressed their concerns at a public hearing Aug. 9. Klein argues that an appointed superintendent would actually be more accountable to the citizens of Danby because he or she would have to follow a job description and answer to the town board. He noted that there has been only one election in recent history in which the position was contested, four years ago. The Town of Ithaca has been appointing its superintendent for decades, he added. "It's not that big a change. We appoint other positions, such as our zoning officer and bookkeeper," Klein said. Town supervisor Ric Dietrich said the board's good working relationship with Seamon, which has resulted in new equipment and facilities, is proof of what can be accomplished when politics is put aside. "Some people look to these elected positions as a way to balance power, but I think being able to work together is more important," Dietrich said. "The highway department is the largest part of the town budget. Our roads are probably the biggest resource the town has." Klein said the board has received 26 written comments in favor of the proposal. Residents will have the opportunity to find out more at an information session scheduled before the next town board meeting, at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 20 at West Danby Fire Hall. "We are really making an extra effort to make people aware," Klein said. "In Danby, we fight about everything. This would be one less political thing to worry about every two years, one less thing to fight about." This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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