LETTER: County spending questioned
I read two articles with great interest in the Aug. 15 edition of this newspaper, “Contentious decision” and “Maggi questioning decision for second expo.” Both raise very legitimate concerns.
To the best of my recollection, Washington County Commissioners Nick Sherman and Electra Janis ran and were elected as “fiscal conservatives,” That being said, how does paying an HGTV celebrity a $30,000 speaking fee; $1,845 for a round-trip, first-class plane ticket; and $1,566 for a two-night Pittsburgh hotel stay, including $262 for room service and $120 breakfast, all fall within the promise of “fiscal conservancy?” The questions taxpayers should ask is why wasn’t a Washington County hotel good enough, and who made the decision to pay this VIP’s expenses?
Per Sherman, thanks to the vendors, the “costs for the expo were reduced considerably.”
Sherman, and with Janis’ input, “claim” to have been successful in getting major development commitments as a result of the expo. When, where and how much were those alleged commitments? When will we, the taxpayers, see the results for ourselves?
Sherman and Janis are now hiring special counsel to seek out fiscal information from the county’s tourism bureau. Just how much is this costing the taxpayers? Sherman stated “a hell of a lot less than we’re paying the chamber.” The county is not paying the chamber! The funds being paid come from the tax revenue the county levies on the hotels.
And last, but certainly not least, was the decision by the two “fiscal conservatives” to lease two high-end sport-utility vehicles for their use the best use of county tax dollars, along with fuel cards for those vehicles?
Barry Andrews
Washington