While 130 city employees were facing layoffs Mayor Whelan sneaked an undisclosed $17,000 transfer into his budget to purchase a special order jeep.  When responding to a reporter’s question Whelan answered that “there’s nothing wrong with having a nice car”.  Evidently the Chevrolet Caprice he had before is good enough for all the police officers who keep Atlantic City safe but not good enough for the mayor.  Without asking for City Council approval Whelan used $17,000 from a special transfer to buy himself a custom four door, four wheel drive Jeep with all-terrain tires and a hunter green paint job that had to be special ordered.   Originally the mayor drove a Dodge Spirit which he then swapped for a Chevrolet Caprice but being “…more of a Volkswagen/Jeep man” he decided the city should buy him a custom vehicle….

• City Council Was Never Directly Asked To Approve A New Vehicle Purchase For Whelan. (Kevin Shelly, Atlantic City buys new Jeep for mayor, The Press of Atlantic City, March 25, 1991)

• The Money To Pay For The Jeep Came From A Dec. 5, 1990, Transfer Of $175,000 In City Funds Moved From The Solicitor's Office, Fire Department And Public Works Department To Several Other Accounts. The Transfer Paying For The Vehicle Is Listed As 101 Mayor's Office, Other Expense, $17,000. (Kevin Shelly, Atlantic City buys new Jeep for mayor, The Press of Atlantic City, March 25, 1991)

• But The Purchase Order Was Made Even Before Council Approved The Special Fund Transfer. A day after the transfer was approved, a purchase order prepared a week earlier was signed by City Comptroller Joanne Shepherd and Purchasing Agent John Hladun certifying that there was a sufficient amount of money in account 101-410. (Kevin Shelly, Atlantic City buys new Jeep for mayor, The Press of Atlantic City, March 25, 1991)

• Whelans New Vehicle Was A Special-Order 1991 Jeep Cherokee. The four-wheel-drive, four-door Jeep is outfitted with special-order, all-terrain tires and finished in special-order hunter green metallic paint. (Kevin Shelly, Atlantic City buys new Jeep for mayor, The Press of Atlantic City, March 25, 1991)

• WHELAN: There's Nothing Wrong With The Mayor Having A Nice Car[.] (Kevin Shelly, Atlantic City buys new Jeep for mayor, The Press of Atlantic City, March 25, 1991)

• Councilwoman Louise Palmentieri, Who Sponsored The Account Transfer As Chairwoman Of The Revenue And Finance Committee, Said She Would Have Questioned The Expense If The Administration Had Made Clear It Wanted To Buy A New Car For The Mayor When He Already Had One. (Kevin Shelly, Atlantic City buys new Jeep for mayor, The Press of Atlantic City, March 25, 1991)

• WHELAN: I Prefer A Jeep To The Caprice[.] (Kevin Shelly, Atlantic City buys new Jeep for mayor, The Press of Atlantic City, March 25, 1991)

• WHELAN: I'm Really More Of A Volkswagen/Jeep Man[.] (Kevin Shelly, Atlantic City buys new Jeep for mayor, The Press of Atlantic City, March 25, 1991)

• [On Becoming Mayor] Whelan Originally Checked A Standard-Issue Dodge Spirit Out Of The City's Motor Pool[.] (Kevin Shelly, Atlantic City buys new Jeep for mayor, The Press of Atlantic City, March 25, 1991)

• He Swapped Cars Later And Began Driving A Chevrolet Caprice[.] (Kevin Shelly, Atlantic City buys new Jeep for mayor, The Press of Atlantic City, March 25, 1991)