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Thursday, June 11, 2009

News / Politics Amanda Fritz Bought My Pizza

Posted by Matt Davis on Thu, Jun 11, 2009 at 6:41 PM

8cc5/1244770575-fritzpizza.jpg

AMANDA FRITZ: BOUGHT MY...OH...YEAH...I ALREADY SAID...

In this week's column on the Street Access For Everyone committee I wrote:

Having covered these discussions for three years I felt a nostalgic sense of déjà vu during much of the meeting, except for the welcome addition of Hotlips pizza on the taxpayers' dime.

WRONG! Commissioner Amanda Fritz paid for it. Out of her own pocket. WTF. I got an email from Fritz's staffer Tim Crail this afternoon:
One correction to your Hall Monitor article that I wanted to point out is that Commissioner Fritz bought the pizza, not the taxpayers.

I responded:
WHAT?! You're telling me that the Commissioner paid for that pizza out of her own pocket?! Seriously!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??

I had four, count 'em, four slices. A nice supreme, a solid cheese and a double hitter of a rather excellent Hawaiian. On the standard Davis principle that food shouldn't be wasted when there are folks going hungry in the world, and not having been told that the stuff had been paid for out of Fritz's private purse, I thought it was the least I could do. Now there are all kinds of conflict of interest issues. I wish I could regurgitate and return my pizza somehow, a bit like a male parrot. Crail responds:
Yes, she paid every dime of it.

I respond:
How much was it?! I want to blog about this, instantly!

And WHY?!

WHY WOULD SHE DO THAT?!

IT'S SO....INVOLVED...LIKE SHE CARES ABOUT THE PROCESS, OR SOMETHING!!!

Where was Nick Fish's fish'n'chips? That's what I'd like to know...


Crail responds:
She does care about the process (as if you didn't already know that!)

As a matter of course, Commissioner Fritz occasionally pays for items that could be charged to the City.

I still don't really understand why. Fritz is paid the standard commissioner's salary of $99,507, but there's no reason she shouldn't pocket it all. Why on earth is she buying pizza for city hall meetings, and what else is she paying for? Seriously...is she buying the toilet paper in the city hall restrooms? Do I need to avoid that, too, for fear of swaying the tone of my coverage!?

Commissioner: Thanks. But please tell me, next time you're buying my dinner, so that I can refuse it with the dignity and poise you have come to expect. I just hope word doesn't get out to your colleagues and you end up getting stuck with the bill for the "extras" out of the city attorney's office this summer.

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