Interview with Charlotte Smiseth by Mara Kearney

How long have you lived here, and where? 

I was born and raised in Kerhonkson about 5, almost 6 miles off of Samsonville Road, and then my parents' house was foreclosed and I moved to Accord. After that I moved around to different hamlets. Now I live on Kyserike Road. I've lived in almost all the hamlets. I attended Rondout Valley schools and SUNY Ulster.

How long have you been on the Town Board, and how is that experience helpful for being the Highway Superintendent? 

I just started a second board term, so I'm almost at the end of my fifth year.  Town Board experience will be helpful in several ways. First, the board approves all appropriations for the town. Even though the Highway Superintendent is in charge of their own budget, the board has to audit and approve all of their vouchers and their budget every year. I’m very familiar with the Highway Department budget and administrative needs. I know what planning is required to make sure that we have the funds to cover payroll and salt and everything else, and that strategic purchasing is needed to save money as well. And I’ve seen firsthand the importance of making sure our trucks are all on a maintenance schedule. Because of my board work, also, I am already familiar with town and New York State laws and procurement policies.

I’ve gained an understanding of applying for our CHIPS (Consolidated Local Street Highway Improvement Program) reimbursements in a timely manner and of how we can expand the CHIPS funding we are eligible for. There are different pools of CHIPS funding available. If we're not in a given pool, we can’t share in the county's allotment from the state. There's a newer category that's based on the scenic road miles in your town, which we have so many of.  We aren't currently in that pool, and there are other pools we could potentially be in. There’s a process to get us into those allotments. I've already spoken with [Ulster County Executive] Jen Metzger about this, and I have Jen's endorsement for this office. I'm willing to be the one to go and get all that done.

Finally, I’d like to mention that I would go into the Highway Department with already established working relationships with all the current board members, the Town Supervisor, our Town Clerk, and the town office employees. I graduated from Rondout with some of the town employees. Others graduated with my husband. So some I’ve known for a few years and others for much longer. Regarding the Highway Department specifically, I know the secretary well, and she does a wonderful job. Our crew and our union supervisor for the crew also do a great job, and they know what they're doing with the road repairs.

What else in your background has prepared you for the job of Highway Superintendent?

Before I was on the Town Board, I ran the Roundout Valley Food Pantry through the pandemic. I started as a general office manager there, and worked my way up to director of operations. I oversaw 8 of the 10 programs they had, and did all the logistics, such as deliveries and roadmapping. Prior to that, I was mostly in the restaurant or hospitality industry in management or supervisory roles. I've run large work crews and been the main contact point for 20-plus work crews at different jobs in my past. 

I have multiple micro-credentials in accounting, business law, communications, business administration, and general management, in which I have a lot of experience. I can sort a budget, balance a sheet, and I also have experience as a grant writer. I'm able to come up with creative ways to find funding. 

If you are elected Highway Superintendent, what will be your priorities?

My first priorities would be implementing a budget and project management process and a procurement process to get the best values available. When we're purchasing items, I would like to see us taking advantage of the best sales and the best value that we can get from different suppliers, not just certain corporations, or using mom-and-pops that are local to save on freight. I would also prioritize meeting with Jen Metzger regarding CHIPS, to obtain more funding for our eligible highway projects.

Another priority of mine is to look into how we can support and encourage the advancement of our public transportation. We have over 100 road miles in our town, a lot of our residents don't own vehicles, and we don't have a lot of public transportation.  

And I would work with Supervisor Enouen on the Bridge NY projects to try to help move some of that administration and paperwork from her office back to the highways office to unburden her department. 

What is Bridge NY, and can you address why it is taking so long for bridges in town to get fixed?

Bridge NY is a state funding program that helps local governments fix and replace their bridges and culverts. When you have a large, capital project like that, you have to name a lead agency. Typically the lead agency would be the Highway Superintendent except for the grant funding portion, but starting before Erin Enouen's time in office, the Town Supervisor was listed as lead agency for the whole project.

It would be helpful for the workflow to have the Highway Department oversee the engineering, the bids, the specs. There would still be constraints based on the bids we get and when companies we need to work with are available.  But more preventative things could be done before we get to the point that a bridge is undrivable. For example, a proper, proactive inspection schedule and regular reports to the Town Board. Also, we need to be working with the county to make sure that we know when their projects are scheduled, so three bridges aren’t shut down at the same time as happened last summer.

Why do you feel inspired to work for the town?

In a way, I've been volunteering in town since I was about five. My mom has been on the Senior and Youth Recreation Commission since 1998 or 1999. I used to be at meetings with her all summer when I wasn't in school, and that was the start.

I've always had a belief in service. I'm not a wealthy person. I never have been, but I've always been a volunteer and have shown up when I’m needed. I've personally struggled financially to stay in the area, from adolescence to adulthood and having my own child now. It’s important for me to make sure that there's someone here in the town government who represents the people I know and all the regular working folk who make less than $100,000 per household, which is over 50% of us. They are the ones that aren't always thought of when we're trying to make zoning changes or the taxes are going to get raised. I try to make sure I'm the squeaky wheel for them.