Last December, Tim Grant, Paul Kelley and two other candidates applied for the Sterling highway superintendent job after Grant's father, Norm, decided to retire from the job about two months after being re-elected.

Kelley was selected for the position by a committee comprised of four town board members and one employee from the highway department.

Sterling supervisor, Joan Kelley, who is married to Paul Kelley, was not involved in the decision.

On Tuesday, Grant and Kelley will compete for the job again, this time in a Republican primary that will determine whether Grant gets on the ballot in November. Kelley has been endorsed by the Republican and Conservative party committees in Sterling.

Thus, regardless of Tuesday's outcome, Kelley will at least appear on the ballot in November on the Conservative line.

If Kelley wins Tuesday, Grant will not appear on the ballot, and if Grant wins, he will appear under the Republican line and Kelley under the Conservative line.

Kelley, who was appointed in December, believes his experience with budgeting and financial issues makes him more qualified to handle the administrative duties associated with the job.

Kelley worked for years as a self-employed general contractor and served as a member of the Hannibal school board for 20 years, with both jobs requiring a knowledge of budgets, he said.

Grant, who worked in the Sterling highway department as a truck driver for 4.5 years before quitting last February, said his experience with the day-to-day aspects of the job, like plowing the roads, makes him better equipped to run the department.

“I can plow, he can't,” Grant said. “If somebody doesn't show up, you can hit the road and get the job done.”

Grant said he quit the job in February because he didn't agree with Kelley's management style: “He let the guys do what they wanted to do. They need guidance.”

Kelley, however, said the four other full-time employees in the department have been pleased with his performance thus far and said all have been supportive of his election campaign.

While he didn't have years of experience working in the highway department prior to taking the job, Kelley said he has fostered a team atmosphere within the department and relies on the experience of his employees.

“It's a job that entails paperwork and budgeting. Fiscal responsibility is something I've lived with for 30 years (on the job),” Kelley said. “I really thought the qualifications were something that I fit into.”

The departmental budget this year is just under $580,000.

Whoever wins the race this November will have to run again in November 2007, when the regular highway superintendent races take place.

Staff writer Anne Gleason can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or at anne.gleason@lee.net.