County
Aloha “Official Business”
June 21, 2005 
UPDATED VERSION WITH LINKS
Ada County Commissioners Judy Peavey-Derr and Rick Yzaguirre along with Treasurer Lynda Fischer are planning on attending a county government conference in Honolulu July 15-19…at taxpayer expense. Peavey-Derr has said she will pay for much of the trip with personal funds.
Why is it all these government officials never go to conferences in places like Minneapolis, Des Moines, Amarillo, St. Louis, or Fargo…in February?
Last month Ada County officials and mayors joined the BOISE Chamber of Commerce in an “important planning conference” in… SUN VALLEY. Funny how they don’t end up in Lewiston, Pocatello or–godforbid–BOISE?
A tattletale journalism blog, along with local reporters across the nation, delight (as does the GUARDIAN) in creating discomfort for those spending public money for junkets. There is outrage everywhere repeated in hundreds of counties across America about this junket.
Some politicians will cave to the pressure of public scrutiny and others will be indignant about having their “integrity challenged” and defend the “value of the conference.”
Former Boise Mayor Brent Coles–and the city council–vehemently defended the city’s “leadership role” in the nation and even the world as Coles flitted about at taxpayer expense as head of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Today Boise doesn’t even belong to the organization–which ultimately led to Coles’ resignation in shame and a jail sentence.
It would be refreshing to have an honest politician say, “This was a great way to get a free dream vacation to Hawaii with my spouse and an easy way to have the citizens subsidize our trip,” We could actually vote for that kind of honesty!
Ed note–
And with a little research we found a Chicago politician who could tell it like it is.
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