Heather Curtis
WMAL.com
WASHINGTON- Frederick County Councilor Kirby Delauter said his company W.F. Delauter and Sons can’t afford to make charitable donations because of the business it will lose now that the county council passed a law forbidding companies owned by elected officials from bidding on county contracts.
Tuesday the county council passed the law, allowing companies owned by elected officials to bid on county contracts is a conflict of interest. Delauter said this reverses a decision made earlier this year where the council found the conflict of interest no longer existed since the county government switched from a commissions form to a charter form.
“It’s like going to a casino, putting your money on the table and hit the jackpot and then walking out the door, and they stop you saying, ‘No. No. No. Give me the money back. You didn’t really win,’” said Delauter.
While he said his business hasn’t done any county contracts for a few years, historically it has made between $500,000 and $1.5 million a year from those contracts.
Delauter and Sons gives between $10,000 and $15,000 a year to local charities, including $1,000 to Catoctin High School’s football fundraiser.
Some residents said Delauter is taking out his frustration with his colleagues on the kids who play on the school’s football team. Delauter disagreed and said he is not obligated to give anything to anyone.
“While certainly disappointing and potentially detrimental to their sports program, our community can rise above this and come together and hopefully raise enough money to replace the $1000 or exceed the donation this councilman has said he no longer will give to them,” said New Market resident Val Dale who founded a GoFundMe page to raise money for the football team to compensate for the lost donation.
As of Friday afternoon, the page had raised more than $800 of its $2,000 goal.
