To the Editor:

I write regarding the letter to the editor of Mr. Joel Willsey, “Anyone who votes for Mr. Bashwinger is avoiding the facts,” which appeared in the Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025 edition of the Altamont Enterprise.

Frankly speaking, I and numerous other town residents have grown tired of Mr. Willsey’s chronic complaining and criticisms — carping — regarding Berne Highway Superintendent Randy Bashwinger and the town of Berne highway department.

 Mr. Willsey is entitled to his opinion, and he may disagree with Berne Highway Superintendent Bashwinger and the way the town of Berne highway department performs its work, but to state that Highway Superintendent Bashwinger is dishonest is over the top and uncalled for.

 In my opinion Mr. Willsey’s comment borders on slander and I believe he owes Mr. Bashwinger a public apology. Mr. Willsey should remember the idiom that, when one attempts to harm another’s reputation, they only diminish their own.

Town of Berne Highway Superintendent Bashwinger and his highway department have a budget. They don’t have extra manpower or equipment; every tire, every load of salt and gravel costs money.

They are working from a building built in 1952, a 73-year-old facility woefully inadequate to maintain and repair today’s behemoth equipment. They have some 80-plus miles of town roads to maintain.

They do the best they can with what they have. Readers, you can’t ask for more than that.

 Mr. Willsey’s continuous criticisms suggest the story of a man who claimed to be a forensic expert because he lived next to a cemetery. No man knows less than the man who knows it all.

 I hope Berne residents will see through the partisan blather and vote for Randy Bashwinger for highway superintendent, Kristin De Oliveira for town clerk, and Stephanie Audino for tax collector — they deserve our support.

Robert Motschmann III

Berne