May 22, 2009
Laconia Citizen
Two local activists are questioning the procedures followed by Belknap County Sheriff Craig Wiggin when he applied for a Justice Assistance Grant (Recovery Act) that would provide $217,000 in equipment to six local communities and his department.
Tom Tardif and Doug Lambert also are challenging the Belknap County Commissioners’ authority to approve the grant application.
Related: Belknap County Sheriff fails to Comply with Transparency Requirements of JAG Grant
“Many people know Sheriff Wiggin is seeking a grant known as a JAG, (“Justice Assistance Grant”) from the federal government on behalf of Belknap County and six municipalities within. And why not? One of the assets he supposedly brought to the table during the (fatally flawed) appointment process, according to some members of the County Convention, was his grant-writing capability.
This year, extra monies have been pumped into the JAG program as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) or, as it is more commonly called, the “stimulus” package. This is the same grant that would provide the funds for the Laconia PD that I was critical of here in this post several weeks back, noting that the dough has nothing to do with stimulating the economy and is nothing more than a handout used to maintain certain government spending at artificially inflated levels.”
Also, Just Because it’s Free…