Lewiston: Reiter Throws Support Behind Rose for Highway Super, But Why?

A vote for Rose for Highway Superintendent sign is nestled comfortably on the property of former Highway Superintendent and Town Supervisor Steven Reiter.

 

Since his abrupt request for a “permanent leave of absence” in November of 2013, little has been seen of or heard from former Town of Lewiston Supervisor Steven Reiter. He doesn’t attend any community or civic events and is very seldom seen in public at all. For all purposes he has become something of an invisible man. During a 2012 FBI investigation, Reiter was caught on film repeatedly stealing from the taxpayers of Lewiston and because of that he himself has no realistic chance of ever holding any public office again.

But apparently he has quietly decided to become involved in local politics again. It seems that Mr. Reiter has been acting behind the scenes as something of a campaign worker for Jeffrey Rose, who is challenging incumbent Highway Superintendent Doug Janese in the Republican primary. Reportedly Steve has called several of his friends to sign Rose’s petitions and to ask them to put his campaign signs on their property for him.

No matter who that person may be, there is nothing absolutely wrong with anyone exercising their right to endorse anyone or lend assistance to someone’s political campaign. But any time Steve Reiter’s name is connected to anything, all sorts of red flags automatically go up.

Knowing those things, I decided to do a bit of research to see what may have spurred Reiter’s involvement. My initial thinking was that perhaps there may have been some past business involvement between him and his chosen candidate. After an extensive search of the internet none was found, but for a totally unexpected reason.

In his campaign announcement, Rose pledged to revitalize the Highway Department by using “the same unique, proven and successful management style that he used as CEO and Chief Operating Officer of his own multi-million dollar corporation which operated from 1975 to 2003.”  He said he had built that company, Rose Industrial Services, into a “multimillion dollar company that has operated from Texas to Maine and everything in between.”

But after scouring the net for any mention of his company, there was not a single hint of the empire he said he built. The only information that was found anywhere showed that the firm had been incorporated in 1996 and gone out of business 2000, with truck cleaning and pressure washing as its only listed services. There was no trace of his “huge” corporation, so if it ever did exist it seems to have just vanished into thin air. 

As for Reiter, some speculate that the reason for his involvement is that it may once again give him some access inside local government should his candidate become the Highway Superintendent. Another theory being circulated is that because a Highway Superintendent can hire anyone they wish to, Steve has made a deal to trade his support in exchange for a job for a family member or a friend. 

Only he knows for sure why he is playing a role in this campaign but almost everyone agrees on one thing. There must be something in it for Steven L. Reiter himself.