Evers wages war against Engineer

The manner in which naval veteran and licensed professional engineer Ranson Caola was "fired" by the Town Supervisor was nothing short of disgraceful. After insisting publicly he wanted a PE rather than a Building Director in order to get rid of one Board appointed office supervisor, Evers then waged a war against the engineer position as well. When Mr. Caola was hired, he went through a competitive process which began by answering an ad in the newspaper.

Once an agreement to retain him was reached, he gave his company two weeks notice, after which he began his first day working for the town. During that two week period, the Supervisor failed to submit any paperwork to the county Civil Service to have the appointee approved. He waited until Caola began work and then sent down the paperwork absent his resume.

A clerk who works for the county disproved of the paperwork, in part with the excuse that he lacked qualifications to be an engineer, via a 30 year old out dated job description they had on file. So much for a New York State License.

Evers took the rejection notice and ordered Mr. Caola out of the building. The set up, obviously with the collusion of the county, had allowed Evers the excuse to fire Caola with no attempt to correct the "mistake" of failing to send the man’s resume to the county so that the rejection would be corrected. Imagine that Caola left his job to work for the town and Evers did this to him, a distinguised veteran and graduate of Anapolis.

In the time that has passed, Evers has made disparaging comments about Caola's professional qualifications which subject both he and the town of North Greenbush to potential civil damages. The reckless comments continued most recently when Evers appeared again this month before a meeting of the Civil Service Commission and for a second time argued against righting the wrong committed so that he can keep Caola out of the building department. Evers cannot argue against correcting the “mistake” on grounds relating to civil service law, but rather argues simply that the town doesn’t need the position. That argument belongs at a town board meeting, which he lost, NOT before the Civil Service Commission.

It's quite a contradiction from months ago when he argued against the Building Director because we needed a PE. But like any good hypocrite, he is for something before he is against it. As for the town, it desperately needs the services of an engineer like Caola. Evers knows it and just about anyone who works in town hall or comes before a planning or zoning board knows it.

But making sure that the Building Department employees remain unsupervised is a top priority for the Conservative Supervisor who wants to get those check rolling again to his political pals in Casale Excavating. A department supervisor might have sopped those $740,000 in overpayments in Water District 14 and that $83,000 check Evers personally had cut to satisfy the Conservative Party Chairman’s company, Casale Excavating.

The town is apparently had enough of the stalling and is ready to file a lawsuit that will put Civil Service and Evers in check and Caola on the job. That may happen as soon as this week if the county fails to agree to correct the "mistake".
So welcome to the Town of North Greenbush, a Division of Casale Excavating and the Conservative Party. Professionals need not apply.