NATION : Dinkins: City Won’t Pay for Bed
NEW YORK — Mayor David N. Dinkins said today that whatever his new bed’s headboard cost--and it reportedly cost $11,500--the city will not pay a penny of it.
The mayor said he has instructed city officials to find out by Tuesday whether it really took $11,500 for a city carpenter to duplicate a headboard that would have cost $1,600 in a store.
“Whatever the explanation, the city will not pay a single penny of the cost,†Dinkins said in a statement issued by his press secretary, Albert Scardino. “It will all be covered by private donations from friends of the city, many of whom have contacted me this morning to offer their contributions.â€
Dinkins was stung by a Newsweek story about the headboard, which came days after the city’s money woes prompted the mayor to freeze hiring, propose new taxes and raise the possibility of laying off 15,000 city employees.
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