Farmington says Trump failed to pay bill

»  Social News

FARMINGTON — After paying nearly $9,500 to provide security and traffic details for a Donald Trump rally in January at the Farmington High School, the town has not been reimbursed by the campaign and now plans to request payment from the school board.

Farmington Town Administrator Arthur Capello said he sent an invoice to the Republican presidential frontrunner’s campaign on Feb. 11 for $9,449.58 worth of services provided for the Jan. 25 event. The rally came less than two weeks before the state’s primary. Capello said he hasn’t received a reply from the campaign since they requested an itemization of the bill about a week after Capello sent the initial invoice.

According to the amended invoice provided by Capello and sent to the campaign, the cost of police for the event represents 80 percent of the total bill with $7,569.58 in billable services. The fire department provided $780 and the highway department $250 in services. There was also $250 for sign rental and $600 in attorney costs.

Capello said he has tried contacting the campaign “four or five” times since the campaign’s initial reply, contacting both Trump’s campaign treasurer Tim Jost and Farmington state representative and Trump campaign staffer Joshua Whitehouse to inquire the status of the invoice and whether or not they needed any additional information. He has not received a reply. An email sent to the Trump’s press office Thursday morning was not returned prior to deadline.

Capello said the Board of Selectmen and the Farmington School Board will meet on Monday to discuss having school funds pay for the invoice while awaiting repayment from the campaign. Capello said it was a school function and the school was paid prior to the event from the Trump campaign for the rental.

“If the school has a dance, we provide security for the dance,” he said. “This is just on a much bigger scale.”

The event came together in a matter of a day or two, and Capello was told by the U.S. Secret Service the town of about 6,800 people would balloon by another 5,000 for the event.

Farmington School Board member and Trump supporter Joe Pitre said the invoice had been sent to school board, and while he had heard the total amount, he had not seen a copy of the invoice yet. He questioned whether the bill was “a reasonable amount,” as well as lack of itemizations, like how many on-duty officers worked, what other police departments were called in and how much overtime was spent. The bill sent to the Trump campaign breaks the costs into five categories, but each is only described by a word or two.

He also questioned whether the Trump campaign was even liable for the bill. From what he understood, the U.S. Secret Service requested the detail, not the campaign.

Capello said the selectmen may look at changing policies to get payment for services up front instead of having to beg for payment after the fact. Pitre suggested a similar idea.

But Pitre, who also serves as a state representative, said the event showcased Farmington in a positive light and should be welcomed by the community. The event drew people from all over the state who hadn’t been there before, he said.

Plus, these political events are just a part of New Hampshire’s role in presidential politics.

“We’re the first in the nation primary,” he said. “You should expect things like that.”

Capello sees it differently. While he can appreciate showcasing the town, “The taxpayers should not be expected to pay the bill.”

Capello said the town was told by U.S. Secret Service officials, who provide security to Trump, to expect an influx of about 5,000 people to the campaign rally. Farmington’s population is about 6,800.

“We had to do what we had to do,” Capello said about providing security and traffic control for the event.