LITTLE VALLEY — After six years as Cattaraugus County Public Works Department commissioner, Joseph Pillittere will step down later this month.
Pillittere, 55, was appointed commissioner by county lawmakers on June 8, 2011, after having spent a year as deputy commissioner under Commissioner David Rivett.
Pillittere tendered his resignation in a letter to County Administrator Jack Searles late last week. He said his last day would be Nov. 10.
“It was not an easy decision to make,” Pillittere said in his letter to Searles. “The past seven years have been rewarding, both personally and professionally. I’ve enjoyed working with you and your staff, along with the Legislature, department heads and county employees.”
“It has also been gratifying to work and manage a team that’s dedicated to serving the general public.”
Pillittere told The Salamanca Press on Tuesday that he plans to start working at the West Valley Demonstration Project as communications manager for contractor CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley on Nov. 13.
“I’m going back into what I was doing before coming to the county,” he said. He previously served in various public relations positions including at the Chautauqua County Cornell Cooperative Extension.
“I came here in July 2010 as deputy commissioner and was named commissioner the following June. David Rivet left that January,” Pillittere said.
“It’s a great job,” he said of the DPW commissioner’s post. “Basically I’m getting back to my field of expertise. The county has been a great place to work.”
Pillittere said, “This summer we had our largest number of projects ever. I like to believe I helped with that. We’ve done a lot of work over the years, plus multiple floods and winter storms.”
What will he miss? “Definitely the people,” Pillittere replied. “I get to work day to day with department heads, legislators, county employees and residents. I get contacted all the time by phone and email. A lot of them are compliments, not just complaints. The job changes every day.”
While Pillittere had no background in public works or construction when he was named the county’s third DPW commissioner, he credits communication, good teamwork and good people for his successes. “You surround yourself with the right people and it’s easier. Also the Legislature gave us the resources.”
Are the county’s roads and bridges in better shape as he prepares to leave the DPW post? “Over the years, the infrastructure has gotten better. We’ve been able to put more resources together. It was a huge capital program this year,” he said.
Legislator Virgilio “Dick” Giardini, D-Allegany, chairman of the Public Works Committee, said, “We are going to have to go out and find someone to take his place. I recommended him for the job when I was on the Legislature before. He was the deputy commissioner.”
Giardini said, “He seemed to be knowledgeable about a lot of the stuff. He’s a good all around honest and nice person. He’s easy to work with. There’s a lot of pressure from 17 legislators. He tried to help everyone the best he could.”
County Legislature Chairman Paula Stockman, R-South Dayton, said, “I always thought Joe was a good manager. He seemed to have a good handle on the budget. If he didn’t know an answer to a question, he’d find out and get back to you the next day.”
Stockman noted Pillittere is a member of the Cattaraugus County Planning Board, the Conewango Creek Watershed Association and the new Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cattaraugus County Board of Directors. He also taught a class at Jamestown Business College.
Pillittere did “a very good job as administrator of a huge department,” Stockman said.
“We are going to have to establish a process for his replacement,” she said.
(Contact reporter Rick Miller at rmiller@oleantimesherald.com. Follow him on Twitter, @RMillerOTH)
