As many of you know, public safety and safe, drivable roads are among my top priorities as your county representative. I spend a great deal of time fighting for adequate funding to fix our roads and advocating for the work to be done. As the year comes to a close, I’d like to thank both town highway departments and Erie County Department of Public Works crews for all they have accomplished in 2018.

I’ve recently spoken with Clarence Highway Superintendent Jamie Dussing regarding what crews have been able to achieve despite tough weather conditions. This past fall was unusually difficult for Superintendent Dussing and his crews, as this is the latest we’ve seen leaves on trees in many years. Crews had to report to work as early as 4am to pick up leaves on top of salting, plowing and completing road work. Additionally, they have completed strip-paving and patching throughout the town. These men and women deserve recognition for their exceptional work.

Aside from preparing for the winter season, DPW representatives have considered many of our concerns and completed a number of road projects this year. In 2018, the following work has been completed: Hot patching and waterline replacement on Maple Road from Hopkins to Country Parkway, mill and overlay of Hopkins Road from Sheridan Drive to Maple Road, hot patching of Shisler Road with additional work expected in 2019, mill and overlay of North French Road from Transit Road to Millersport Highway, continuation of the Goodrich Road project and reconstruction of the Route 93 Bridge over Murder Creek in the Village of Akron. I plan to continue collaborating with DPW to advocate on behalf of residents throughout my district and push for additional projects to be completed in 2019.

Outside of my focus on road and infrastructure improvements, I am proud to be involved in county-wide anti-bullying efforts. Bullying is a pervasive issue that has damaging effects on our youth both online and in schools. As seen in the Buffalo News last week, Erie County Family Court Judge Brenda Freedman has seen far too many cases involving juveniles and bullying. Because of this, she is spearheading an anti-bullying task force. The task force is in its infancy stages, but its initial goal is to collaborate with parents, schools, law enforcement and community groups to aid bullying prevention efforts. I commend Judge Freedman for her incredible vision and leadership on this project. I have since reached out to her to get involved and look forward to being part of this worthy initiative.

As always, if you have questions or concerns regarding any county-related issues, feel free to contact my office at Edward.Rath@erie.gov or 716-858-8676.