Kate Lisa reports for Columbia-Greene Media a two-part series about Republican Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro's official vehicle usage. Molinaro, now the Republican nominee for the 19th Congressional District, attempted to purchase a new county vehicle in 2020 for himself three years early under the incorrect county department, the story says. But the Dutchess County Comptroller’s office flagged the purchase and stopped it. The Dutchess County Comptroller’s Office is auditing its fleet of vehicles. “We’ve been looking at some of the payments and had questions from various sources,” said Dutchess Comptroller Robin Lois. “We’ve been trying to find particular policies and procedures in place, and some of them seem to either not be existing or be different among different departments.” Molinaro currently drives a 2021 black Chevrolet Tahoe Premier, a luxury SUV paid for by taxpayers. “The county executive is provided an SUV for the purposes of responding 24 hours a day, seven days a week during emergencies and otherwise,” Molinaro said. “It is customary and common practice for municipalities to issue vehicles to certain administrators.” In 2020, though, Molinaro attempted to get himself a new vehicle, and did so in an unorthodox manner. “The CE is not a law enforcement officer, nor is his vehicle registered as such,” former Dutchess Deputy Comptroller Karl Schlegel wrote in an email March 5, 2020 to other county employees obtained through a Freedom of Information Law request. “Not only can this vehicle not be charged to this bond, and I question the use of this bid to purchase a vehicle for this department...Additionally, according to Auto Center records, the county executive is currently issued a 2018 vehicle with a five-year life. Why is his vehicle being replaced within two years?” Molinaro boasts that he does not have a police driver or security staff, but he did attempt to get a new vehicle early. “It seems excessive and unnecessary,” Lois said of the cost of the executive’s vehicle agreement. “Particularly when compared to the rest of the county vehicles that are in use and the cost of those vehicles.” A second part of this story is due Aug. 2. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.