Quote:
After superstorm Sandy, the...Sea Bright New Jersey...fire department and first aid squad's two ambulances were rendered inoperable from the flood. "(Jon) said, 'Read, I'll buy you an ambulance,'" Read Murphy, the borough's emergency management coordinator recalled...The rock star sent the fire department a check for $119,000.
...What had town officials confused was that they were never told officially about Bon Jovi's donation, even after the taxpayers bought a new ambulance.
...Instead of buying a second new ambulance, Murphy — who's on the board of the fire department and first aid squad, both nonprofit entities separate from the borough — said the organizations decided instead to refurbish a damaged ambulance, and then use the rest of the money to purchase a SUV for use by the emergency management coordinator... The SUV cost $31,000 after lights and other related equipment were installed...It is registered to Sea Bright First Aid... Murphy said the vehicle "stays in my possession," and he drives it for emergency management business and on fire and first aid calls. He said he sometimes uses the vehicle to go to dinner within town.
...(T)he Federal Emergency Management Agency Public Assistance Program...reimburses municipalities for assets, such as ambulances, lost in the storm... Mimi Box, the Soul Foundation's executive director...said...(i)f the ambulance could be replaced with programs like that, the original donation could be used for other purposes in town...
...Murphy said replacing that ambulance with a new one would have cost $140,000, while the rebuild cost $82,000..."We got two ambulances for the price of one, which is the way I'm looking at it," he said... (T)he first aid squad...planned to cut an $82,000 check this week... The insurance claim is now in court... "They were very generous to us," Murphy said, speaking of Bon Jovi. "Nothing was bought without their permission...There were no shenanigans..."
Murphy also is a former councilman who resigned this month in an unrelated dispute...
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No shenanigans? Having three conflicting job titles and not "officially" mentioning the donation to the city council THAT YOU WERE A MEMBER OF are MAJOR shenanigans, Murph! It COULD be why somebody called the New Jersey District Attorney!
P.S. Jon also donated a million dollars to the Sandy charity headed by New Jersey governor's Chris Christie's wife. So there's an outside chance that his name could pop up in the
Christie federal investigation.