Reading mayor decides not to buy a car with taxpayer money

Mayor Eddie Moran decided he will not buy a car to replace the one he has been using to travel for public appearances.

“The administration would like to withdraw that request,” Moran’s Chief of Staff Frank Denbowski told City Council at its committee of the whole meeting Monday night. “We found a suitable vehicle in the fleet that hasn’t been utilized much, so we are able to utilize that vehicle.”

Moran was not at Monday’s council meeting.

Council this month introduced an ordinance to allocate $30,000 to the mayor’s office to buy a vehicle for Moran to continue to make public appearances throughout the city.

Finance Director Jamar Kelly initially said the mayor had been driving hand-me-down cars since taking office to travel to various events inside and outside of the city and there were a lot of maintenance issues with the vehicles.

The city planned to buy a certified used vehicle

Moran had been using a former city police department vehicle.

“Unfortunately, the vehicles I have to use have left me stuck on several occasions,” Moran said previously. “However, I didn’t feel it was appropriate or even justifiable to have a new vehicle.”

While the request to buy a vehicle was withdrawn, some council members were still concerned the mayor was using a city vehicle to attend official events.

“Generally, over the years, the mayor used a personal vehicle, just as all of us do,” Councilwoman Donna Reed said. “I truly don’t believe in a city that has a poverty rate that we have that any of us in elected positions should be using city vehicles or using city fuel money to traverse a city that is under 10 square miles in size.”

Reed proposed the city implement a mileage policy and asked to be presented with a list of city vehicles and to whom the vehicles are assigned.

“I think it’s incredibly important as we exit Act 47,” she said, referring to the state’s program for financially distressed cities.

Source: Berkshire mont