WASHINGTON -- The Peaceoholics are orchestrating a "good deed" for D.C. government, taking a fire truck and ambulance and giving it to a Dominican beach town apparently in exchange for good karma.
You see why we get worried when the mayor leaves town?
The truck (worth $270,000) and the ambulance ($70,000) are surplus supplies, which usually go to auction so the city can get some of our money back, the Washington Examiner reported. An auction sounds good considering the budget cuts the D.C. Council has to make.
Instead, the city's going to give the vehicles away for nothing. Not even a strong bat -- maybe just a prospect -- for the middle of the Nats order. Last week, the D.C. Office of Contracting Procurement created a new rule that allows the city to donate surplus supplies to Peaceoholics, an anti-youth violence organization, the Examiner reported.
"I want to know why we needed a special emergency rule to donate a fire truck and ambulance to a Caribbean vacation spot,” said Councilwoman Mary Cheh, who oversees the OCP. “And what precedent does this set? Will we give District property to an organization to allow it to immediately turn around and give it someone else? And who will supervise this? I look forward to getting answers."
Head Peaceoholic Ron Moten told the Examiner some friends of his visit Sosúa regularly -- We would, too, look at these beaches! -- and that the small town is in financial distress. Moten said he expects to get a lot back from the donation.
"We believe if you can help anybody, God blesses you 10 times over," he told the Examiner.
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Many city officials told the Examiner they find the donation unusual but not unprecedented, and Attorney General Peter Nickles said he's just getting involved.
Cheh sent a letter to Chief Procurement Officer David Gragan asking for answers.
"Although I commend both the work of Peacaholics, Inc., and the humanitarian motivation behind this donation, it doesn’t make sense to be giving foreign aid while we are dealing with a serious economic crisis in the Disrtict," she said.
