Arthur Cusano is reporting in the Register Star the Columbia County Board of Supervisors voted Wed., Nov. 12, it would not fill the position of Public Works commissioner. According Cusano's account, the decision was made as a cost-savings measure. The full board voted at a special meeting to leave the post empty in the proposed 2015 county budget. Former commissioner David Robinson served in the position until his term expired Nov. 3. The county Public Works department is composed of the highway, engineering, facilities and solid waste departments. Board of Supervisors Chairman Patrick Grattan said the board's Public Works Committee will now oversee those departments. Supervisors Ellen Thurston, of Hudson, and Raymond Staats, of Clermont, both Democrats, voted against the move. Staats called the decision unwise. “There are some things we need leadership to do that department heads can’t...,” he said. Thurston said she was just hearing the idea for the first time and did not understand the reasoning behind it. Editor's note: Thurston is a WGXC programmer. Read the full story in the Register Star.