Featured Story

Card to leave Highway/Public Works posts

Six years after taking office as Shelter Island’s Highway Superintendent and Public Works Commissioner, Jay Card Jr. has decided to move back to the public sector.

He informed the Town Board in an executive session Tuesday that he won’t be running for another term and expects that a successor would be be in place by April 1, 2019. Mr. Card won’t be on the ballot in November 2019. He has  run unopposed since his initial race for the job.

He came into public office after retirement as an officer with the town Police Department.

Mr. Card has been heralded for efforts to organize the Highway and Public Work departments and has pushed for more money to improve town assets.

As for his future post-April, Mr. Card is not committing to anything specific, but said only that he intends to work in the private sector.

Along with Town Engineer John Cronin, he has  fought year after year for a capital budget to enable both repairs and a regular maintenance schedule to ensure town buildings, marine assets and other properties are funded.

Mr. Card has played a major role in working  to save Reel Point from catastrophic erosion and recently talked about several bulkheads at town landings that are threatening to disappear if repairs aren’t undertaken rapidly.

He has also fought for a higher salary for a job he said entails far more work than his compensation covers. While he got more than the 3 percent raise other town workers will receive in 2019, the new salary will not bring him up to par with those who are charged only with Highway Superintendent responsibilities in neighboring towns.

A full story on Mr. Card’s decision will appear in the December 20 Reporter.

[email protected]