Wildwood Mayor Wants $34,000 Reimbursement for Trump Rally
Wildwood Mayor Pete Byron is estimating the total bill for President Trump's campaign rally in the city on January 28 to be about $34,000, and the mayor wants reimbursement.
The rally, which drew a police estimated crowd of 15,000 people, cost Wildwood more than $16,000 in overtime to its officers, plus public works expenses and other costs incurred by the city, according to documents obtained through a public records request, the Press of Atlantic City reports.
The campaign event with U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-2nd, required weeks of preparation from city, county, state and federal agencies to ensure the safety of the president and those in attendance.
The Press of Atlantic City quotes Mayor Byron saying he wants to know who would be considered the event's promoter.
“I pretty much have the costs together, I believe. I’m just making sure I’ve got the final costs. At that point — I have a phone call in to the Convention Center to find out who actually pulled the permit ... for the rally, and then in my eyes that would be the promoter of the event. I’ll be forwarding a letter along with a request for reimbursement to that individual.”
The Center for Public Integrity cites unpaid Trump rally bills in excess of $800,000 nationally.
The largest single invoice, $470,417, is from El Paso, Texas, where officials say the Trump campaign did not cover costs associated with Trump’s Feb. 11 campaign rally near the Mexican border.
“I’m hopeful they’ll pay. I’m hopeful they’ll do what’s right. People that don’t pay their bills — that’s a character integrity issue,” El Paso Mayor Dee Margo told the Center for Public Integrity.
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