Not wild about Harry's junkets
May 02, 2012 | Daily RepublicNot wild about Harry’s junkets
Posted by Kelvin Wade
Palm Desert lies approximately 512 miles south of here. Only .02 square miles of the 27-square-mile city is made up of water. Some of that water finds its way through the J.W. Marriott Desert Springs Resort and Spa. This gorgeous luxury hotel, with two golf courses, tennis courts, four pools and a nightclub, has cascading waterfalls in its lobby and gondolas to take guests through the resort’s waterways.
In January, the California Association of Sanitation Agencies conference was there. Mayor Harry Price attended the conference and you picked up the tab to the tune of $1,587.04. Councilman Rick Vaccaro also attended at an expense of $1,459.65.
I recently obtained expense records of the Fairfield Suisun Sewer District Board. The board is made up of the Fairfield and Suisun City city council members. For now I’m just focusing on Fairfield. I’ll deal with Suisun City next week.
Last year, Mayor Price’s sewer district-related travel and expenses totaled $8,548.51. Former Councilman Chuck Timm racked up $7,467.33. Vaccaro spent $2,995.96. Catherine Moy totaled $1,094 and John Mraz brought up the rear at $136.75. Neither Catherine Moy nor John Mraz went on any junkets. It is Mayor Price’s travels to CASA conferences and other spending that really takes the prize.
He regularly attends these conferences in places like Palm Springs, Squaw Creek, Monterey, Indian Wells and Washington, D.C. In the early years, starting in 1998, Price only attended one or two conferences a year. In the latter years, he’s averaged four. His junkets have totaled at least $99,224.54. I say “at least” because some of the early conference registration fee records have been routinely destroyed.
Mayor Price attended a conference in Napa last week. Since he didn’t stay at the hotel, taxpayers will only have to cover registration, travel and meals. Plus, in addition to all the other expenses, members on these trips receive $143.59 per day.
Why are we paying to send the mayor on these trips? In a recent Daily Republic article, several sewer board members said the trips would give new Executive Board Member Vaccaro the knowledge he needs to be an executive. But is there something that can be gleaned on one of these junkets that you couldn’t learn through a phone call, videoconferencing, email, fax, books or snail mail? Couldn’t you share notes with someone who went?
In addition to the CASA trips, Mayor Price’s City Council training and conference expenses for the last six years have cost an additional $20,852.32. That includes a 2007 trip to a “war college” in Montgomery, Ala., that cost $984.55. It includes lobbying trips to Washington, D.C. Why? Fairfield already pays a lobbyist in D.C.
How do you feel entitled enough to go on that trip to that gaudy Southern California hotel in January and then cut full-time positions of Fairfield city workers?
Did the money Fairfield spent on these junkets bankrupt the city or cause our financial crisis? No. But at a time when Fairfield residents are underwater, the sewer board wants to raise water rates 5.2 percent for the next five years, we’re facing city layoffs, huge budget cuts and contemplating a new tax, perhaps those entrusted with the people’s money should think twice about how they spend it.
Peace.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
ADDITIONAL NOTES: Did I stir up a hornet's nest or what? The first thing is that Council members Catherine Moy and John Mraz never went on any junkets. I regret that the way I wrote the column could leave people with that impression. The amounts I list for them are solely meeting stipends. But I wanted to include what all the council members received as part of the sewer board for last year. It also draws a contrast and shows people who is costing the most.
This has been a long time coming. This column was almost twice as long as the final version. I think it's important for taxpayers to see these numbers and see what their officials are doing. Some may think it's fine. I've already read comments from some who feel getting training is a necessary part of the job. Still others think why did five (two FF, three SS) have to go on the junket in January costing over $8,000. Did they come back with $8,000 worth of information? Or maybe they garnered information that will benefit all of us down the road. That's a possibility. I'm sure they would say that was their intent. But could four have gone and reported back? Or three? Or some may think these trips are fine in boom times but since the Great Recession, maybe they should have scaled back the trips. The evidence is that the trips increased. Some think these trips are completely worthless. I've heard stories but I'm not going to put hearsay into the paper. I just wanted to stick with the numbers. But whatever people may think, I thought it was important to get the information out before the public.
And this is merely the tip of the iceberg. Suisun is up next. There are things I believe are going to make a lot of people angry. We're in lean times so we expect those at the top to make the same sacrifices everyone else is. There are some uncomfortable truths coming.
In writing this, I wanted to give Mayor Price the chance to respond in the column but it came down to a matter of space. There really wasn't a lot of space. And I know the paper is very good about giving local officials space to answer their critics. So I fully expect that here.
My opinion is obvious: I think you scale back in tough times. I think whenever you spend the people's money you have to ask yourself, "Is this the best use of their money?" And if it's not, you don't do it. I don't like old boys' networks. I don't like business as usual. Sometimes you have to overturn the apple cart. I have no personal axe to grind. I've got no beefs with local officials. This isn't about me. It's about putting the information in front of the residents and they can do with it what they will.
Stay tuned.
Comments