City Sausage Flap: Who's to Blame for Free Lunch Faux Pas?

A revelation of city-funded lunches for the downtown sidewalk crew has sparked a food fight that isn't going to simmer down anytime soon.

According to Public Works Director Lisa Fauteux, an ex-city employee authorized 38 transactions totaling $1,478.30 at Sausage King over a four-month period in 2012. You can view a spreadsheet of the charges provided by the city here.

"This was not a responsible way to use those dollars, the person who did this knew better, it should not have happened," said Fauteux. "I'm frankly angry and disappointed that a high-level employee would spend taxpayer money in this manner."

Although Fauteux said legally she was not at liberty to name names, the receipts, made available through the city finance department were signed by Roy Sorenson, the city's former Street Superintendent, who resigned in June to take a job as Public Works Director  in Bedford, Mass.

Nashua Patch contacted Sorenson Thursday by phone about the matter. Sorenson did not comment about the expenditures, and said he has "moved on."

"I've moved on from Nashua – I really don't have anything more to say," Sorenson said.

Alderman-at-Large Mark Cookson, who is a liaison to the Board Public Works, summed up the situation on Thursday with one word: "Unbelievable."

He then went on to wonder why it took nearly a year for this unauthorized expenses to come to light.

"Unbelievable. I'm wondering whether the process to evaluate whether these expenses were legitimate are proper and appropriate. I understand the employee who authorized this had authority based on previous protocols, but I think someone else should have eyes on this as well," Cookson said. 

"This is outlandish, and I guess I really wonder why is it coming to light a year after the fact. What took so long for us to see this and raise questions about this? That's what concerns me most of all."

Cookson said he feels both Mayor Lozeau and Director Fauteux owe the Board of Aldermen an explanation, and a plan moving forward for how to prevent such abuses.

"While the former employee is accountable for his actions, I have to question if other Public Works employees should have known as well – yes, I mean Director Fauteux. It's a job expectation that she know what's going on with her staff. She is absolutely responsible; she had a responsibility to manage the superintendent of streets just as she did for parks and rec and every other supervisor under her direct watch," Cookson said.

"And that goes up to the mayor as well. Director Fauteux should have at some level been able to extract this information and should've gone up to the mayor with it – and a lot sooner than nine months after the fact," Cookson said.

Fauteux explained that there is a line item in the Street Department budget for meals, capped at $1,200, but that it is restricted for use under very specific circumstances, such as when a plow crew has to work a double shift during a storm.

The meals line item falls under the category of "supplies and materials," which is budgeted at a total of $75,000, Fauteux said. Money can be transferred around within the designated lines, for example, if more road salt was needed, it could be transferred from the sand budget line to the salt budget line, both of which fall under the supplies and materials category, Fauteux said.

"This employee knew better. It would be OK to buy a couple of pizzas to keep the crews going – and that would be an unusual situation – but this was inappropriate," Fauteux said. 

Because the 38 individual expenses were modest – the smallest charge for $9.17 and the largest for $147.88 – none of them were flagged.

"I believe this is an isolated incident, and if the employee were still with the city we would've pursued disciplinary action against this employee," Fauteux said.

Fauteux said going forward there will be tighter controls, including checks and balances, put in place, including making sure employees understand the process surrounding meal expenses.