COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF
COLUMBIA
THE JOHN A. WILSON BUILDING
1350 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, N.W.
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20004
Mayor Adrian M. Fenty
Executive Office of the Mayor
John A. Wilaon Building
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20004
hand delivered
Dear Mayor Fenty:
In response to recent actions regarding the donation of a 1998 Seagrave
Pumper (S-104) fire engine, purchased for $240,895, and a 2002 Ford E-450
(S-671) ambulance, purchased for $75,132 (hereinafter “property”), the
Committee on Government Operations and the Environment and the Committee
on Public Safety and the Judiciary have launched a joint Committee
investigation. Attempts by the Committees to obtain critical information
pertaining to the authorization of this donation have met resistance,
including the intentional withholding of the authorizing employee at a
recent Council oversight hearing.
Pursuant to this investigation, the Committees request that, effective
immediately, any and all documents related to this investigation be
retained pending future information requests. Furthermore, the Committees
request that you please provide copies of the following documents in
searchable and electronic format by close of business Thursday, April
23rd, 2009:
- All memoranda, rules, and regulations, correspondence, including
emails, text messages, g-chats, and pin messages describing how
surplus personal property is processed and by whom; - All documentation supporting and explaining the emergency nature
behind this donation; - All correspondence, including emails, text messages, g-chats, and
pin messages, between District employees and any other party or
parties about the property in question; - All correspondence, including emails, text messages, g-chats, and
pin messages, between 2 or more District employees about the property
in question; - All correspondence, including emails, text messages, g-chats, and
pin messages, between District employees and any other party or
parties about the decision to dispose of the property; - All correspondence, including emails, text messages, g-chats, and
pin messages, between any District employee and Peaceoholics, Inc.; - All correspondence, including emails, text messages, g-chats, and
pin messages, between any District employee and any Sosua employee or
affiliate; - All memoranda, rules, and regulations, correspondence, including
emails, text messages, g-chats, and pin messages explaining how
donated property is valued; - All documentation relating to the determination or finding that the
items in question were in fact surplus; - All documentation submitted to the Office of the Inspector General (OIG)
pursuant to its investigation; - A list of personal property, including all vehicles, donated within
the last 5 years, including the item’s original market value, the
item’s value upon donation, and to whom it was given.
Should there be any claim of privilege or protection with respect to
any of the above questioned items, the Committees request that such claims
be made in a privilege log with a description of the basis for such claim
of privilege or protection, and all other information required for a
privilege log.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. Should you have any
questions or require clarification, please contact Charles Sumpter.
Sincerely,
Mary M. Cheh, Councilmember, Ward 3
Chair, Committee on Government Operations and the Environment
Phil Mendelson, Councilmember, At-Large
Chair, Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary
cc: Peter Nickles, Office of the Attorney General
Dan Tangherlini, Office of the City Administrator
David Gragan, Director, Office of Contracting and Procurement
Chris Willey, Interim Director, Office of the Chief Technology Officer
Dennis Rubin, Chief of Fire and Emergency Medical Services