Dec 28, 2020
Mayor Edward Sundquist may have followed the city’s procurement policy, but he still shouldn’t have leased a new vehicle without approval from either JURA or the City Council.
Sundquist said the city requested bids for proposal, receiving five. The only difference with his vehicle is the cost of the lease is a line item for the mayor’s office instead of being a part of JURA’s budget.
But that’s not exactly true.
Former Mayor Sam Teresi’s vehicle was a city fleet vehicle. While driven largely by the mayor, it was available for other city employees should the need have arisen. And, the cost for a fleet sedan was likely much less expensive than the lease on an SUV. The upgrade from a sedan to an SUV counters Sundquist’s assertion that his vehicle was a replacement lease.