I don?t like seafood. Never have, never will. Employees at Verizon and the State Department of Transportation, though, don?t appear to share my aversion.
As the News & Observer of Raleigh and Charlotte Observer have chronicled, Verizon and a couple state agencies are in hot water over gifts and meals that Verizon employees bought for state employees in the last four years, even while the telecommunications company was negotiating a $51.5 million contract to support the state’s vehicle inspections program.
The SBI has launched an investigation into the gifts, and Gov. Bev Perdue has issued an executive order extending the state’s gift ban to all executive branch state employees. (Why that last part didn’t happen years ago is one of many mysteries of North Carolina politics.)
In reviewing the list of expenses documented by Verizon and released by the state, I was struck by the number of times Verizon employees asked to be reimbursed for food from Bonefish Grill, a seafood restaurant. By far, it was the most frequented establishment by Verizon staff and state employees, particularly in 2008 when they spent a total of $2,240.21 stretched over seven occasions.
Many of those tabs came in September 2008, when Verizon staff picked up the bill for $1,363.36 spent at Bonefish.
A couple times, the per-person expense was on the high side. For example, a meal on Sept. 3, 2008, put back Verizon $57.67 per attendee.
They must really like seafood.
