Republican City Councilor Ken Smith was an advocate for seeking reimbursement from the Obama campaign committee and said Wednesday that the committee should pay because the visit was purely a campaign stop.
While stating it was “an honor and a privilege to have the president of the United States here,” Smith said, Obama's campaign raised “hundreds of millions of dollars to cover the costs of their campaign.”
“Because it was not an official visit, they should pay,” he said.
Part of the local costs, Smith said, were for local police officers to stand by while the president, vice president and their wives had lunch at Mombo restaurant.
Durham Town Administrator Todd Selig provided Seacoast Media Group with a similar letter that town received from the Obama campaign. Durham's request for reimbursement for costs associated with a presidential campaign visit was denied and the town was also referred to the Secret Service.
“In addition, Portsmouth City Manager John Bohenko and I have discussed this issue recently and plan to reach out jointly to our federal legislative delegation after the New Year to inquire whether the matter could be equitably addressed for all cities and towns across the country through federal campaign finance reform focusing upon this pressing issue for taxpayers at the local level,” Selig said.
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by opal
Connect With Us