The real lesson is never volunteer.   I had made that fatal mistake of volunteering to be a city trustee, which paid nothing, because I thought it was my civic duty.  Imagine?  Now I'm accused of kickbacks due to hiring the same guys from the data recovery services that are taking care of the plant.  I am only hoping that it is the strain of the situation that is doing this.  It's only one other trustee that is making the accusation, and I think she is doing it because she wants work for her brother.  She told everybody in an emergency meeting that there had to be at least three bids to enact the work, that that is what is in the bylaws of the city constitution.  I tried to stay calm.  I told her to take a look around.  First we had a snowstorm, then record flooding when it melted, then a tornado.  Every single company worth anything that was engaged in saving systems was working.  Overtime.  The guys I recruited from the plant were working overtime as well.  They work all day to get the plant up and running again, and then they spend the night over here. I knew her brother.  He was a nice enough guy, but he ran a small computer consulting business from his house.  This was way out of his league.  She still insisted.  The mayor overruled her saying the other constitution bylaws allow for contracting without bid in emergencies.