Were taxpayers gouged on Sandy cleanup?
In the immediate aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, Governor Chris Christie and Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa warned New Jersey businesses, gas stations, hardware stores, food stores, hotels and other retailers who had electricity and were able to sell life sustaining products and services to a vulnerable public against price gouging. By the end of November, one month after Sandy hit, Chiesa’s office was investigating thousands of gouging complaints and had filed at least 10 civil rights lawsuits against hotels and gas stations.
In the November 28 release announcing the lawsuits, Christie said,
“The last thing people put out of their homes in a natural disaster should have to confront is price gouging from unscrupulous profiteers,” said Governor Christie. “It’s illegal, offensive and completely opposite the spirit of cooperation we saw just about everywhere else in our state in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. I encourage more of the same treatment from the Attorney General for any other instances of price gouging he discovers.”
A Star Ledger article posted Tuesday morning raises questions as to whether the State and 43 municipalities were gouged by the Florida contractor, AshBrit Environmental, that was awarded a $100 million no-bid contract to clean up state roads and waterways and allowing municipalities to hire the firm without going out to bid.
Posted: January 31st, 2013 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Hurricane Sandy | Tags: Anthony Mercantante, AshBrit, Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa, Conti, Governor Chris Christie, Haley Barbour, Long Beach Township, M Public Affairs, Maggie Moran, Matt Doherty, Middletown, Mississippi, Point Pleasant, Randal Perkins, The New York Times, The Star Ledger, William Schroeder | 4 Comments »