Willis Shutt and Brad Loucks answer 5 questions ahead of early voting
By Andrew Harris
With early voting set to begin Saturday October 24, one Wellsville race stands out. The job of Town Highway Superintendent is a very important job with some key responsibilities. Of those, the most important is keeping town roads in good repair and safe in all seasons. That job requires proper equipment maintenance, layers of scheduling, budgeting, and supervising the town road crew. Don’t forget working with the Town Board, key suppliers, and addressing the concerns of the towns 7000+ residents.
Two native Wellsville gentlemen are on the ballot for this big job. The first is Willis Shutt, who is the current Acting Highway Superintendent and Manager of the Wellsville Municipal Airport(also the current Town headquarters.) His competition is Bradley Loucks, a pipeline construction professional with Otis Minnesota.
Both candidates have submitted a general election statement, which you can read here: Shutt’s Statement – Loucks’ Statement
We ask them both the same five questions and their answers are provided verbatim, unedited.
Q- The job of highway superintendent is arguably the most important job in the Town of Wellsville. If elected, what are your main goals for the next four years?
SHUTT: We will focus on planning and budgeting for our road maintenance and major repairs. While keeping the equipment well maintained for the best and safest roads for the public.
LOUCKS: Given the fact that this election is to fill a vacancy and is good for one year my goal is to gain the confidence of the voters to run for a full-term in 2027. my key concern is to manage the department within confined of the budget, do a complete assessment of all the current equipment and the 57 miles of road that need to be maintained.
Q- Considering the price of diesel fuel, what can be done by the highway department to insulate the taxpayer from skyrocketing costs?
LOUCKS: I can’t control the price of diesel fuel, but I can manage the usage within my departments and maintain a budget to compensate for the cost and usage and still provide safety to the public.
SHUTT: Budgeting for diesel fuel is based on past usage and predicted weather each year. Fuel prices are nearly impossible to predict, let alone budget for.
Q- What are your biggest concerns about the state of town roads and infrastructure ? How do you plan to address those concerns?
SHUTT: Getting our poor roads back to good roads is concerning with materials prices constantly fluctuating. Budgeting properly so we are keeping the good roads sealed up and in good shape. As we get the poor roads rehabilitated year to year to getting them back to where they need to be. While utilizing our CHIPs Funding and budgeted monies properly.
LOUCKS: Roads and infrastructure are always a major concern. Not just fixing problems but staying on top of issues. My major goal is to address long-term preventative care of the roads and infrastructure.
Q – Plowing and sanding our rural roads is a major town expense and key duty of the highway department. Explain how you’ll balance keeping roads safe with controlling the cost to the taxpayer?
LOUCKS: I can’t control of the cost of material such as salt and sand, but I can manage the usage of supplies while still being aware of public safety at same time. As I work with the Town Board, awareness of cost and usage is always a factor in a yearly budget.
SHUTT: Keeping the roads clear and safe while controlling the cost is proper planning and understanding of the winter time operations.
Q – Do you plan to be a working Highway Superintendent who is dedicated to being present and available every workday?
SHUTT: As the Highway Superintendent I will be working alongside the excellent group of professionals we have at the department as I have done for the past seven months. We all know our what our responsibilities are and we are here to service the Public.
LOUCKS: I know dedication, hard work and responsibility is a large part of this commitment and yes, I will be a working Highway superintendent. As an elected official you take an oath to be dedicated every day 24/7/365, so every day is a work day. I will be leaving a steady job of over 20 years to serve the citizens of Wellsville.
See the Full Ballot for the Town of Wellsville, remember there are 2 pages
