To the Editor:

A few words about Randy Bashwinger, Berne Highway Superman:

I've known Randy for around three years now. Since he was elected, I’ve gained nothing but respect for the man.

He took the Town of Berne Highway Department to a level that I hadn’t seen in the 11-plus years that I have been employed there. When his term started, he focused on training, safety, employee relations, equipment, and a better workplace for his employees.

At the same time, he was doing his best to make the roads the best they can be, so Berne residents can safely travel to their destinations.

Randy is an excellent manager of people. He has no problem thanking us for the hard work performed aor bringing us into his office for closed-door discussions. He makes it his priority to ensure that we all work together like a well-oiled machine.

His many years in the construction industry has saved the Berne residents many dollars in several different ways. He gets the best prices on materials and we do the work ourselves. As he has said many times, Berne residents are always welcome to come in and see how a portion of your tax dollars are used.

Since Randy’s been elected, we all have a much larger garage to work in. The pole barn now has a lean-to running its entire length, in order to keep the equipment under cover. A much-needed salt shed has now been constructed. The salt shed was necessary in order to keep the materials dry for better spreading during the winter season. The improvements accomplished in such a short period of time are unbelievable.

Randy’s mind is always on the equipment we all operate. We now have a new Cat loader, a good-sized bucket truck, and other new midsized trucks for plowing and road maintenance. He wants all of us to be safe with minimal down time in order to ensure that Berne residents get the most out of their tax dollars.

We believe that the town of Berne residents need to re-elect Randy Bashwinger so he can continue the fine job he has started.

Patrick Stempel

Ed Hampton

Kevin Kemmet

Jason Geel

Pete Becker

Josh Gebe

Berne Highway

Department employees

Editor’s note: “It’s my letter,” said Kevin Kemmet; he said the letter was reviewed by and approved by each highway worker whose name appears here.