Army veteran disputes VA clinic's decision to end his vending contract

Army veteran disputes VA clinic's decision to end his vending contract
By Jodie Tillman, Times Staff Writer
In print: Sunday, August 3, 2008


NEW PORT RICHEY — So a stranger walked into the canteen of the Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic last Tuesday afternoon. He did not want a hot dog. He wanted a word with the hot dog man.

The hot dog man was Bill Donley. He sold Florida Mutt Dogs for $2 and Texas Prairie Dogs for $2.50 from his cart called The Dog Sled.

The stranger pulled out an identification card. He was a criminal investigator with the Department of Veterans Affairs. He had driven over from James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital in Tampa. He had a few questions.

The investigator quizzed him, Donley later recounted, on whether he talked with the media about the Veterans Affairs' decision to cancel his concession stand contract. Or whether he threatened an administrator at the clinic over the issue.

Donley's year-long reign as the hot dog man of the VA clinic was coming to an end after disputes with officials over business signs and the volunteer groups Donley says were hurting his business by offering free coffee and sweets in the canteen during his breakfast hours.
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