I am the Democratic candidate for Commissioner of Public Works which also includes serving on the five-person City Council. Below, I am sharing some important facts that every resident of Saratoga Springs should be aware of.
But first, I am aware of the awesome responsibilities of this position.
Public Works has purview of all city infrastructure and many of the civic services that people depend on every day. DPW encompasses a broad area of responsibility: water, sewer, city-owned buildings, roads, recreation fields, ice rinks, and more. Leaf and brush pickup in summer and fall, snow and ice clearing in winter and keeping the city attractive all year round are just some of the ways DPW touches people’s lives.
The largest investment that DPW is responsible for is our water infrastructure. Starting from the Loughberry Lake to the water treatment plant on Excelsior, the 142 miles of piping system throughout the city, the approximately 750 fire hydrants in the system and several pumping stations and other critical hardware all cost in the 100’s of millions of dollars.
This huge asset of the city is not usually seen or felt by the citizens as long as clean and healthy water flows out of the faucets. Unfortunately, this precious asset is aging, and showing its age by more frequent water main breaks, leakage, and inadequate flow from the hydrants. An estimate of 20% seems reasonable for the amount of clean, treated water that leaks out of the city’s pipes.
All of this is costing the city and the residents time, money, and inconvenience due to failure events.
The reality is that maintaining the health of our water infrastructure has been a low priority in the city for over 30 years. We just have not kept up with the needed maintenance and monitoring practices that are prudent and necessary. In this process, we have achieved an amazing workforce that can easily jump on any problem that arises and fix it. I truly commend them for their skill and service.
If there is one thing that my candidacy is about, it is this: Start transforming DPW from an organization that fixes things when they break, to one that maintains things so they don’t fail as much. This transformation needs to happen in all aspects of DPW work, from making sure fire hydrants are maintained, to fixing potholes so they don’t recur in the same spot.
As an engineer and manager at GE starting in the 1970’s I have lived with, managed, and executed change in GE products and factories… I am not a novice in this arena. And it is not only about engineering and technology; it is leadership, teamwork, motivating a workforce, and managing to get results. And love for our city.
I am asking for your vote this November.
This Reader’s View was published in the Saratogian.