Gager Damascus write-in fails

Roads were the decisive factor

By TOM KANE

DAMASCUS, PA - Bill Gager’s attempt to overcome his defeat in the primary election last May and have supporters write-in his name on the November ballot has failed to return him to the supervisors board.

Gager, who is the incumbent chairman of the Damascus Township Supervisors, got 197 write-in votes against his opponent, Charles “Chuck” Grady, who amassed 553 votes. Grady’s name appeared on both the Democratic and the Republican line.

The negative vote ended Gager’s 16 years of service on the township board.

“It was the condition of the roads that swung the election,” Grady said. “We never had a consistent maintenance plan that was followed. That’s what is needed most and that’s what I will attempt to do.”

First and foremost, Grady wants to get rid of the position of roadmaster.

“We don’t need it,” he said. “I will be a working supervisor and will take over the supervision of Gager’s roads, which are all those north of Route 371.”

Roads south of Route 371 are the responsibility of supervisor Arthur “Jim” Freiermuth, who is not a roadmaster.

Grady, who had his own business for 30 years, did not reject the idea that taxes might have to be raised to do the job effectively. “This is going to be a thorn with everybody,” he said. “I’m going to propose it and see if the other supervisors agree or not.

A similar position, with some reservations, was expressed by the other victorious supervisor, Jeff Dexter, who ran for a two-year term. Dexter was an incumbent supervisor, who was named to fill the position vacated by Fred Haase, but had to officially run in this election. Dexter, who had 478 votes, beat Bob Gross, who amassed 351 votes.

Dexter said that the expenses of the township were rising rapidly. “You can’t have it both ways,” he said. “The money to do the job just isn’t there.” However, he said, the first order of business was to put in place a workable maintenance plan and then see what good that will do.

Over the last three years, Gager and the other township supervisors, some of whom have left office, have been persistently criticized for mishandling road maintenance, especially on the paving of Atco Road. Many have claimed that the township lost a substantial amount of money because the roadmasters, of which Gager was one, did not monitor what many said was an inferior paving job by Suit Kote, a local road construction company. Suit Kote has consistently defended its work on Atco Road.

One township citizen, Rolf Beck, has consistently made Gager the target of numerous complaints of inefficiency and alleged criminal mismanagement in not following approved procedures in handling the bidding of township projects. None of Beck’s allegations, however, have been substantiated.

Wayne County District Attorney Michael Lehutsky said he was looking into these allegations that were brought forward by Beck’s attorney.