From old Crown Vics to snow plows, retiring Middletown mechanic kept cops and crews on the road
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For more than 40 years, Tom Scott literally has kept the wheels of justice moving in Middletown.
And he makes sure township crews can get out with plows in the worst snow storms and have all the equipment they need in good share to keep parks spruced up in the spring.
But, he's no government suit. The municipal garage is his office
Scott repairs the police vehicles, snow plows, lawn mowers, backhoes and all the other mechanical equipment that Middletown depends on to serve its residents and keep them safe.
"The cops wait for me. They have a flat tire, or the car's making a noise," he said.
The old "Crown Vics" were easy to fix but the newer police cruisers with all the electronic gear on them took some on-the-job training to learn how to repair. And he spends time at the computer ordering parts and looking up information, as well as attending clinics on the maintenance needed for new equipment.
His work shift runs from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. but Scott said he's usually up at 4:30 in the morning and in work by 6.
But starting in July, he's planning on some R&R. He wants to go camping and cruising with his wife, Carol, whom he married a week before he first began working for the township in the spring of 1980. They hope to see Yellowstone National Park and take the cruise that COVID made them cancel. Then they'll come home to the Parkland section of Middletown where he has lived his entire life and doesn't plan on leaving.
Scott, 63, has put in for retirement as shop foreman for the Middletown Public Works Department where he serves as lead mechanic. The township supervisors and all the township workers whose vehicles he has kept humming over the years honored him with a standing ovation at the June meeting.
"You're just as big a part (of the police department) as any officer," said Police Chief Joe Bartorilla. He pointed out that Scott's skills and mechanical expertise have saved Middletown a lot of money.
Township Manager Stephanie Teoli-Kuhls said Scott would, at the end of his work day, change a flat tire for someone and would "come in on a holiday to help a cop out. Dedicated public servant doesn't scratch the surface of what he's done for Middletown Township."
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Scott said he "always liked tinkering with things. I always liked cars."
While a student at Neshaminy High School, he also attended the Bucks County Technical High School. And after he graduated in 1977, he enrolled at Lincoln Tech in Philadelphia where he studied diesel mechanics. The only vehicles he hasn't taken a liking to have been motorcycles because he considers them "dangerous" to drive.
Scott has served as lead mechanic for all the township vehicles in the two stints that he worked for the township ― from 1980-84, and then from 1986 on.
His first full-time jobs were at an auto dealership and gas station but then he started working for the township at age 21.
"I heard there was a job opening ― a pretty important job fixing police cars and snow plows,." he remembered. He worked for a few years and then left to try to start his own business and work for UPS, but when township workers "literally came to my house and asked me to come back," he knew that was what he wanted to do.
"I always liked my job here. I always liked the cops. The cops came first, except in the snow ... We handled some blizzards where we stayed here two to three days.
"In the flood of '96, the shop was a foot deep in water. I had to rescue cars. Other guys had to rescue the dogs in the K-9 kennel," he said, explaining the police department was located on Veterans Highway where the Public Works Department is now located until it moved to the municipal complex on Municipal Way.
His job making sure that the police officers are driving safe vehicles "makes you feel important," Scott said. "I've lost a lot of sleep worrying about the cops."
He said that when Middletown Police Detective Chris Jones lost his life when he was struck and killed during a traffic stop on Route 1 in 2009, it was a tragic day. "That was very sad," he said.
Scott and his wife have three children: their daughter, Charlotte Tokash; son, Tom Jr., and their late daughter, Amy, who passed away two years ago. They also have three grandchildren. Tom Jr. is also a mechanic.
Scott said the auto repair business has changed with the use of electric and hybrid vehicles and the township is acquiring two hybrid police cars. He and his wife leased a hybrid vehicle for a few years and enjoyed driving it.
He said the public works department cares for a fleet of 145 cars, trucks and other drivable devices the township uses. "We fix it all or try to," he said. And when those snow storms come, he's busy attaching plows and salting equipment to township trucks.
When he leaves, his second-in-command, Mike Gonzalez, will take over. With eight years experience, Gonzalez will do a great job, Scott said. The township will be looking to hire someone to back him up.
After years spent with his head or body under the hood or chassis of vehicles, Scott said it was time to retire. His wife knew it was time too.
"I've known her almost 50 years," he said, recalling that he used his paper route money to pay for dates they went on starting when he was 14. She attended the supervisors' meeting and accepted thanks as well from police officers and grateful officials and employees for sharing her husband and his skills with the township.
"Tom is one of those guys no matter when you called him ― day, night, during a storm, he's always there, always wants to help out," said Public Works Supervisor Eric Gartenmayer. "He touched a lot of people."
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Retiring Middletown mechanic kept cops, crews on road for 42 years
