News & Eagle; Mayor have bug up ass about trip to DC
Today, April 26th, 2011, the local newspaper, the Enid News & Eagle printed financial totals for the recent trip by city dignitaries to Washington D.C. This trip is undertaken each year by both the Chamber of Commerce and the City of Enid. The primary focus is on Vance Air Force Base and focusing on what Enid can do to keep in good standing should there ever be another round of base closures.
Here is a rundown of the expenses of the trip:
Going on the trip were commissioner-elect Ron Janzen and his wife, commissioner-elect Mike Stuber, commissioner-elect Tammy Wilson, Ward 6 Commissioner Todd Ging, Ward 4 Commissioner Drew Richie, Enid Regional Airport Director Dan Ohnesorge, City Planner Chris Bauer and wife, Assistant City Attorney Jen O’Steen, and Police Chief Brian O’Rourke.
Also attending were Fire Chief Phil Clover and his wife, and Military Liaison Mike Cooper, along with Enid consultant Curt Roggow.
Benson also authorized some spouses of commissioners and city staff to also make the trip at the city’s expense.
Expenses submitted to the city included costs for parking, meals, hotel, airfare and baggage, buses, taxis and metro, and mileage.
Expenses for Janzen and spouse totaled $1,948.13. Stuber’s costs were $1,895.23, Wilson $1,643.45, Ritchie $1,943.08, Ging $1,594.19, Ohnesorge $1,696.56, and Bauer and spouse $1,893.28.
Also O’Steen $1,806.51, O’Rourke $1,452.99, Clover and spouse $2,178.11, and Cooper $1,638.49. Cost of the legislative reception was $1,830.27, for a total of $21,520.29.
Roggow submitted an itemized bill. Those costs included Southwest Airlines from Oklahoma City to Baltimore, $912.50; Key Bridge Marriott, Washington, D.C., $554.20; Travel from Baltimore airport to Washington, D.C., $115; travel from Washington to Baltimore, $100; taxi in Washington, D.C., $10; Metro subway, $5; fast track airport parking, $23.81 — totaling $1,720.51 for the trip.
Roggow also billed the city $4,000 for the month of April for consulting and lobbying services.
Source: Enid News & Eagle ( http://enidnews.com/localnews/x1465575629/City-of-Enid-foots-trip-bill-of-more-than-21K )
As they seem to do on a yearly basis, the Enid News & Eagle article seems to take a critical tone about the use of taxpayer money for the trip. Outgoing Mayor John Criner chimes in with his claim that he believes that any number the city sends over 3 people is a waste of money. He is also critical of sending commissioners who have yet to take office. These commissioners would be Mike Stuber and Tammy Wilson (In interest of full disclosure, Tammy Wilson is affiliated with the Route 60 Sentinel). The editor of the News & Eagle has also gone on record (Article here) as saying the sending of the commissioner-elects. If you read the article you will be treated with yet further and familiar reminders that Mrs. Allen knows better than the rest of us because not only is she a journalist and editor of a newspaper, but that she once served on a city council and was mayor of some town located somewhere else. The newbies needed to go to educate themselves on how best to serve our city and stay ahead of the curve in regards to Vance Air Force Base. Vance Air Force Base is a vital source of Enid’s economy and should be treated with as much respect and attention as possible.
Their article further goes on to point out that the taxpayers paid for expenses of some of the spouses to go on this trip. I am going on record as saying that is flat-out bull-crap. There is no way that taxpayer money should be going to pay for someone’s spouse to accompany our dignitaries on the trip. This isn’t a vacation. It’s about learning. It’s about communicating with the right people in Washington. It’s not about enjoying a few days with the wife in D.C.
Mayor McBoob
As for Mayor Criner, I am going to be placing a countdown clock on the front page of the website soon. It will countdown the number of days until he is no longer the mayor of our fair city. He embodies everything that is wrong with our community. He’s stuck in his ways. He’s grumpy. Most importantly, he is a poor public representative of our city.
Now listen. I’m all for fiscal conservation. And I want to point out that I’m glad the Enid News & Eagle keeps up with this sort of thing. But for some reason, it seems to stick in their craw. This trip is essential. Not only is it essential, I think its essential for all the commissioners AND our Mayor to represented on the trip as a sign of unity.
Thanks for listening to my rant.
Until next time,
Max Haley
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The Route 60 Sentinel is an online news blog for Enid and the rest of Northwest Oklahoma. The Sentinel is entirely comprised of volunteer bloggers and citizen journalists. Its a website with stuff on it. Sometimes its news. Sometimes its humor. Sometimes its nothing. Our mission is to provide a news source and online opinion outlet for all of Northwest Oklahoma.
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They left out that Mayor-Elect Shewey was also on the trip.
As for the spouses, I’m sure they have a reason for allowing them to go and there were only a few that did.
In regard to Cindy Allen and Mayor Criner’s opinions that the commissioners that haven’t been sworn in yet shouldn’t get to go – I disagree. The trip takes place a few short weeks before the new people take office. They would have to wait almost an entire year of being in office before they had the opportunity to go again and frankly, the things they learn on that trip are things they need to know early on, not a year later. The meetings with the general and the congressmen were incredibly informative and the discussions with the other people on the trip were also great sources of education.
I personally want the people running our community to be as educated as possible and frankly, I think $20,000 isn’t that much in the grand scheme of things to do what we can to secure VAFB as well as the other things we spoke with them about and to educate our community leaders.
People in Enid comment all the time that it would be devastating if we lost VAFB. While I don’t feel quite that extreme about it, I do recognize that it is an essential part of our economic well being and I do realize its importance and place in Enid. That trip has a LOT to do with why we’ve been able to retain VAFB. We were told when we were there that “Enid is doing it right” and that they (the government) have told other communities to look to Enid to see how it should be done. That is a big deal whether the current Mayor or Cindy Allen realize it. Of course, neither of them have gone on the trip, so they clearly have no idea the value of it to those that have.
In addition, two or three people is not nearly as big of an impact as several. Enid is doing it right according to the people that make the big decisions.
Spouses going is crap. Why not just send random citizens if the tax payers are going to be footing the bill for someone else’s vacation? The winners could be chosen by lottery every year. A complete waste of taxpayer money.
Keith, I agree with the notion that spouses going is crap. But I do slightly disagree with the way you phrase the trip as a vacation. Its completely not a vacation.
I will say, however that having a randomly selected, but civic-minded citizen go on the trip might be a neat idea. Or maybe a local news blogger. I’m just sayin’.
What could the spouses possibly be doing on the trip other than being on a taxpayer-paid vacation? They serve no purpose other than running up the bill and keeping the bed warm.
This is very indictitive of government at all levels. These folks are seizing maximum potential of their power and are taking the citizens of Enid for the proverbial ride. I would be pissed if I lived in Enid and were paying for this. I’m guessing the economic outlook for Enid cannot be good, as it is not anywhere in the country. Momma is going along and you all are footing the bill. It must be nice to be in their shoes. There should be far more of an outcry over this than there seems to be. Can you say Sense of Entitlement? Make ‘em stay home where they belong. They ARE NOT elected to any position within the Enid City government!!!!!!
I think we are all in agreement here. The spouses should not have gone. Period. If someone wants to take their spouse, they should pay their way.
You know, I get that you don’t think the spouses should have gone but the attitude that this was a big vacation is not accurate. We were there for important meetings with Air Force and government officials. There were VERY FEW spouses that went. The people that get elected serve a term of four years with no pay – many times actually losing money from their regular jobs for the time they have to take off to devote to City issues. Our mayor doesn’t even get paid. The City was able to get the hotel rooms at just about half price of what they normally would be and they were the same whether there was one person staying in them or two. There was actually a pretty small amount spent on the spouses going.
You may not like it and it may not be understandable to some people, but there are times in politics when it’s important to show a united front. To have a couple of the spouses there showed that they support our officials and that we as a city are all supportive of the issues we were there to talk to them about.
On another note, no, Enid is NOT in the same economic situation as much of the rest of the country. We have been very lucky in that regard. According to the independent auditor, Enid is the most fiscally sound city in Oklahoma. Not only that, there are businesses opening here fairly frequently these days and a lot of very positive things going on in the way of economic development – we are on the brink of great things in Enid.
Who are you addressing? You seem to be talking directly to someone but yet you aren’t.