Vermont Business Magazine Matt Dunne today sent the following letter to Sue Minter regarding information his campaign received about a single source state contract with Ariel Quiros for management of the Newport State Airport.
Sue Minter
℅ Molly Ritner, Campaign Manager
Sue Minter for Vermont
P.O. Box 583
Waterbury, Vermont 05676
Dear Sue,
In recent days, our campaign received the attached sole sourced contract executed between the State of Vermont and Ariel Quiros to operate the Newport State Airport, a contract you signed as Secretary of Transportation.
Much has been written about the Q Burke EB-5 debacle since April, when it culminated with the SEC charging Quiros and Bill Stenger with a “ponzi-like” scheme in the worst scandal in Vermont’s history. Many documents were shared with the public at that time, and we both called for transparency and the release of all relevant communications. But this information had not come to light.
This contract was signed well after the administration had raised concerns internally, after related projects had been shut down, and after experienced business people like Tony Pomerleau had walked away from deals with these individuals. I am not an expert on state airport contracts, and given that fact, and in the name of transparency, I’m hopeful you can provide further information in response to the following questions:
It’s clear that the Shumlin administration had concerns about these projects before the date on which you signed the contract, even changing the way state oversight was conducted. Were you aware of those concerns at the time you executed the contract?
Why did you believe that it was appropriate to sign a state contract with Ariel Quiros after concerns had been raised about his business practices?
What due diligence did you conduct to ensure this contract passed muster?
Why was Q-Resorts deemed the only vendor capable of providing the necessary services at the state airport in Newport?
If other vendors, such as the ones that perform similar services at the state’s busiest airports in Burlington and Rutland, were capable of providing these services, why didn’t the contract go out for bid?
If you had concerns about the contract or the related contracting process, what did you do at the time to raise them?
Voters should have all available information as they head to the polls. In fact, they should have had this information in April when the initial reports were revealed.
Sincerely,
Matt Dunne