A letter of apology, with a check enclosed, was recently sent to the city of Corunna on Monday, April 11 from the new General Manager of Patsy Lou Chevrolet Buick/GMC store in Flint. He addressed the issue that he believed something had been handled improperly this past year with a sponsorship the dealership agreed to pay toward the 2015 4th of July firework display put on each year by the city of Corunna.
The dealership agreed to sponsor the firework display for $5,000. The new General Manager Jason Curie had this to say about the issue, “Integrity is at the heart of our team’s core values. I hold my people accountable and will always stand by the dealership name. Enclosed, please find the check that was originally agreed upon by a former employee of the dealership. If the firework sponsorship was agreed upon and Patsy Lou received fulfillment of the sponsorship in its entirety, then I believe this money is owed to you. I apologize on behalf of the dealership for the frustration I am sure this has caused.”
In October of 2015, the city of Corunna did receive a check for $10,000 from RightWay Automotive. They not only agreed to pay for Patsy Lou’s portion of the sponsorship for 2015, but also added another $5,000 to help pay for the 2016 firework display. RightWay Automotive is a Saginaw based chain of 24 used car dealerships across Michigan, Illinois and Ohio specializing in helping people obtain cars regardless of their credit or financial situation. Locally, they have dealerships in Saginaw, Flint, and Lansing.
The city is still looking for sponsorships for the all-day festival which usually costs between $25,000 to $30,000. “Most of the activities are free or very low cost and we would like to keep it that way,” said Corunna city manager Joe Sawyer. “The 4th of July Commission will continue to hold fundraisers but we could really use some sponsorships.” Anyone interested in becoming a sponsor may contact Sawyer at the city of Corunna at (989) 743-3650.
