Highway Superintendent Todd Martin and the Town of Clinton
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PRODUCERS OF THE ANNUAL NEW YORK STATE HIGHWAY & PUBLIC WORKS EXPO Amanda Hogeboom-Guilfoyle: General Manager of the NYS Highway & Public Works Show 518-396-7659 email: aguilfoyle@cegltd.com OCTOBER 28, 2026 • SYRACUSE, NEW YORK
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In early March in Las Vegas, Brian Hayden, operator of Hayden Excavating and Welding in Wells, Maine, proved he was the best of the best after taking on three demanding challenges and eight other finalists at Caterpillar’s Global Operator Challenge, held during ConExpo-Con/ AGG 2026. I was fortunate to be able to attend and watch some of the competition and had the opportunity to speak with Brian after the event.
Each test pushed finalists to their limits, demanding technical mastery and total machine control. In the end, Hayden delivered when it mattered most, becoming the first U.S.-based champion of the competition.
The stakes were significant. The winner received a $10,000 prize — either cash or a first-class trip for two to any Caterpillar facility worldwide (depending on local laws) — along with global recognition. Hayden, 24, built his skills on the job while growing up in his family’s business, Hayden Excavating and Welding, which was founded in 1999. The company handles residential and smaller commercial projects primarily in southern Maine.
With the support of dealer Milton CAT, Hayden advanced through local qualifiers and semifinals to reach the global stage at Operator Stadium.
Hayden said he entered the competition almost on a whim.
“I got an e-mail from my local dealer, Milton CAT, saying the Global Operator Challenge was coming back around,” he told me right after winning. “I figured I’d throw my hat in the ring and see how I could do at the local dealer level. I didn’t even think it would go anywhere. And here we are.”
“It feels great to be able to win representing the United States,” he added.
For Hayden, the victory was both personal and professional recognition.
“It’s a great honor and accomplishment to be recognized for what I’ve been doing my whole life,” he said.
We at Superintendent’s Profile congratulate Brian and Milton CAT for teaming up to deliver the United States its first Global Operator Challenge win. P
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Highway Superintendent Todd Martin and the Town of Clinton
As a kid, Todd Martin spent countless hours riding his bike over the dirt roads in and around the town of Clinton, memorizing every muddy rut, rocky patch and pothole trying to get in his way.
Today, at 55, he is still taming the trails. Only now it’s not just about satisfying a growing wanderlust; Todd is the town’s highway superintendent, responsible for overseeing the daily maintenance of 134 lane mi. throughout this picturesque municipality in western Dutchess County, as well as 32.86 lane mi. of surrounding county roads.
Having been born and raised here, Todd feels a deep connection to its history. The town was named for Gov. George Clinton of the Revolutionary War era, formed from parts of Charlotte and Rhinebeck precincts in 1786; it became an official town two years later, according to town historian Craig Marshall.
In January 1821, the town was dissected to create Hyde Park and Pleasant Valley, reducing its size to roughly 38 square mi. It is bounded on the north by Rhinebeck and Milan, on the south by Pleasant Valley, on the east by Washington and Stanford, and on the west by Hyde Park.
It could be said that Todd was born for the job. Before he could ride a bike, he was a fan of heavy equipment, spending many hours watching dump trucks, backhoes and snowplows rumbling past his home. At school, his teacher frequently admonished him for not paying attention, telling him staring out the window won’t help him get a paying job in the future. Proving her wrong warms his heart.
Todd got his first paychecks out of high school working construction, but at 23 he made a move that started a journey to highway superintendent. A motor trader was in town, modeling a boat grader. When he took a break away from the vehicle, Todd — nearby and bored — jumped in and pretended he was the operator. Then-superintendent Charles “Chick” Wyant also was nearby and watched Todd’s antics.
“He said, alright, fine,” said Todd, laughing. Chick proceeded to teach him everything he knew about operating heavy equipment and a little more than two years later, offered him a job in the department. “I said, ‘Heck, yeah’ and started a week later.”
continued on page 12
Highway Superintendent Todd Martin
from page 9
That was nearly 34 years ago. Todd gradually worked his way up, taking over for a short time when his predecessor, Theron Tompkins, suffered a heart attack. Tompkins came back but retired not long after.
“Here I sit, seven years later,” said Todd. While some may dread getting up early and going to work, he doesn’t. “I get up and run to work. It’s that type of job.”
Todd oversees a crew of nine full-timers — Shop Foreman Christopher Burns; heavy motor equipment operators Matthew Frye, TJ Tompkins, Bob Lapine, Jamie Susczynski, Gavin Reichelt and Frank Iachetta; laborer Timothy Bathrick; and motor equipment operator Josh Sall. Parttimers are Roberta Grant, Connor Burns and Ken Wallace. Todd’s right hand, confidential secretary Melissa Karchmer, notes that Todd is the town’s first superintendent to hire a woman to work on the road crew.
Normal working hours are Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 3:30
snowfalls, he’d take his tractor over to the department to help out.
“Now it’s more ice storms than anything,” he said.
He’s proud of the innovative ideas he and his crew come up with for maintaining roadways; they now use environmentally-friendly salting methods and creative leaf removal techniques for dirt road ditches.
The crew does its job using more than 40 pieces of equipment — some of it shared with other area municipalities — to include two excavators, two loaders, several dump trucks and pick-ups, a grader, a dirt road roller, roadside mower, road sweeper, an asphalt dragbox, a wood chipper and a bucket truck.
continued on page 18
An outside look at the salt shed illustrates the size it takes to store road materials.
Highway Superintendent Todd Martin turns on the garage lights to start the workday.
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from page 12
Todd is not about brand loyalty when it comes to replacing equipment.
“He’s more concerned about the price and reliable value he gets from each machine,” said Karchmer.
The department’s facilities are more than 30 years old, department computer records show, and the age of some equipment isn’t far behind. Todd anticipates needing a newer tractor and snowplows soon, and would
continued on page 26
Highway Superintendent Todd Martin confers with department workers over truck repairs. Most of the department’s repairs are taken care of in-house.
Clinton Historical Society photo
The old Quaker meeting house is one of several historic sites in Clinton. Highway Superintendent Todd Martin headed an effort to restart the Clinton Community Day at the site, a few years after it was suspended during COVID.
Todd anticipates needing a newer tractor and snowplows soon, and would like to add a water truck, hot box and new grader to the de partment’s equipment lineup.
from page 18
Responding to roadway obstructions and planning necessary projects aren’t the only things that make Todd a great highway supervisor, Karchmer said. He’s always looking for ways to fix problems. Communications between the crew and other departments, especially the fire, were challenging. The department was operating on a low-band system, while the fire department was on high-band.
Todd worked with Assembly Member Didi Barrett’s office in securing a $125,000 State and Municipalities (SAM) grant for a high-band two-way radio communications system, which keeps Todd and his crew in constant touch with each other and the town’s fire department, which shares the system.
“Especially after September 11, the need to have a cohesive communication system grew stronger,” Karchmer said. “This newly purchased system enables clear communications between the essential workers during high emergency situations.”
continued on page 34
A four-bay garage keeps the highway department’s vehicles safe and secure.
OF PUBLIC WORKS 114 Seven Mile Drive, Ithaca, NY 14850 Phone: 607-273-1656 Fax: 607-882-2472 Roads, Parks, Trails, Sewer and Water www.townofithacany.gov
The Town of Ithaca is accepting sealed bids for the sale of one (1) used 2017 Gradall XL3100 4x2. The machine has approximately 850 operating hours (+/-) and is reported to run and operate as intended, with no known defects or operational issues. The equipment is being sold as-is, where-is, with no warranties expressed or implied. Information about the equipment, including photographs, is available on the Town of Ithaca’s website.
Sealed bids will be accepted by the Town of Ithaca Town Clerk until 1:00 p.m. on Friday, May 1, 2025, at which time bids will be publicly opened. Bids must be submitted in a sealed envelope clearly labeled “Gradall Bid” and mailed or delivered to:
Town of Ithaca Town Clerk 215 North Tioga Street • Ithaca, NY 14850
A minimum bid of $150,000 has been established for this equipment. Interested parties may contact Mike Beach, Deputy Highway Superintendent, to ask questions or schedule an inspection or test drive prior to the bid opening. He can be reached at 607-273-1656, Ext. 227. The Town of Ithaca reserves the right to reject any and all bids.
Winter brings out the department’s plows to clear snowy roadways.
and everybody,” Todd said. In the break room, for instance, Karchmer has a box to collect soda cans. She recycles and uses the money to gift each crew member a cake on their birthday.
Todd’s long history with Clinton gives him a special connection to residents, as well as his crew. He has an open-door policy and a highway
Signage on the main garage that holds the administrative offices makes it easy for visitors to find Highway Superintendent Todd Martin or department staff.
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Nothing proved that more than when COVID hit, he added. “People came out of the woodwork to help us out. It gives me a good feeling whenever I think about it.”
Community involvement is a core value for Todd. He serves as the president of the Dutchess County Highway Association and said one of his favorite things about the job — aside from a birthday cake — is being of service to multiple generations of families he knows so well. When one of the old timers passes on, Todd feels the loss.
For decades, the town came together once a year for Clinton Community Day, an all-day festival of fellowship and fun topped off with an evening parade. A shortage of funding and volunteers put it into remission, but Todd helped pull it out by rallying a group of diverse community members in 2022 — now known as the Friends of Clinton — who resurrected the event. It takes place at the historic Creek Meeting House, built by the Quakers in 1777 and is one of four town landmarks
Todd and his crew also are active with the town’s annual holiday light display and tree-lighting ceremony. A parade featuring the highway department trucks delivers Santa to the party. They also assist the town’s
continued on page
Keeping road materials organized is just one part of maintaining a well-run department.
The highway department’s salt shed can store up to 8,000 tons of the material.
52
Case to Add New Grader Models to Its Lineup in 2026
Three new GR Series grader models will be released by Case Construction Equipment to complement their existing grader lineup, creating a comprehensive range designed to give crews more muscle on tough jobs like heavy road work, snow removal or site prep on big job sites.
With these additional units, all in the 200-plus hp size classes, Case now offers more graders for crews to level up productivity in even the most demanding applications.
These three models are a result of the new collaboration formed between CNH and Bell Equipment, a South African company with a global footprint in designing and manufacturing heavy equipment for the mining, quarrying, construction, forestry, agriculture and industrial sectors. Under the agreement, CNH’s Case Construction Equipment brand will have exclusive distribution across the United States and Canada for the motor grader models, manufactured at Bell facilities.
“This agreement positions Case to drive growth in the North American market, particularly in the government sector, where we have had a gap in our current grader size class,” said Humayun Chishti, construction president of CNH Industrial. “We are honored to collaborate with a company boasting decades of proven experience, a manufacturer renowned for producing reliable, highperforming machines built to excel in the harshest conditions. Our shared commitment to excellence and common values make this a natural fit for Case Construction Equipment.”
Case announced its arrangement with Bell along with the largest of the new models, the 325-hp GR935, at ConExpo 2026. With first deliveries expected in Q4 2026, Case will strengthen its presence with customers in the heavy size classes, reinforcing its position in this core market with powerful graders that excel in road construction, precision grading, maintenance work and government applications.
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from page 44
For as much as Todd loves his town and his job, the wanderlust of his childhood has yet to wane. As a side job, he spends some nights and weekends hauling things like heavy machinery with his 25-ft. Dodge tractor trailer. He’s gone through 40 states with it, from Washington to Maine and back. Two years ago, he picked up a 1914 Old Rhinebeck Airdrome bi-plane built by hand with canvas and bamboo in Newburgh and delivered it to a museum in Plattsburgh — a 250-mi. drive. The delicate plane flew in wars and the New York state skyways until it was grounded by old age. At the time, experts put its value at $7 million.
“I drove 35 to 40 miles an hour, talk about nerves,” said
A highway department employee rinses down one of the department’s dump trucks after a day of clearing snow.
Highway department employees maintain close ties, often sharing lunch together like family.
Snowfall was up this year compared with previous winters, but it didn’t block access to highway department facilities.
