Behind the scenes and in the comments a great many of us have cried foul over Mayor Sly's $18 glass of scotch during his All-Star Game Junket.
There's some debate about whether or not the luxury drink meets with City rules and regs . . . Thankfully, The Mayor's spokes man Danny Rotert is here to set us straight.
Check it:
"The Mayor's office has yet to be issued a credit card to help with making official travel arrangements. So currently, the hotel and food and drinks are all on the Mayor's personal credit card. The Mayor is only seeking reimbursement for his hotel and some food subject to per diem.
"So, it is not accurate to say the Mayor charged anything to the city. Everything for the trip was charged to his personal credit card. Ultimately, when the Mayor is finally reimbursed, the city’s taxpayers will only be paying for appropriate official expenses. Everyone surely understands there is no prohibition against a red blooded American, of legal age, having a drink on your own dime. That is exactly what the Mayor did. He charged the drink to his room, paid the bill with his own credit card, and is only seeking reimbursement for the room not his drink.
"Once we have an official office credit card, this will be much easier and clearer. But to say, as you do, that “There's no question that Mayor Sly broke City Hall rules and regs by charging his Scotch . . .” is simply not accurate. He bought a nice scotch on his own credit card, and did not seek reimbursement for it --- period."
I completely accept the explanation from Mayor Sly's office . . . But I think it misses the point of why most people are upset about this junket.
IN THIS INSTANCE, WHAT A FEW PEOPLE FIND DISTRESSING ABOUT MAYOR SLY'S LAVISH JUNKET EXPENSE IS THAT IT REVEALS HE'S LIVING THE HIGH LIFE AT THE ALL-STAR GAME DURING A HOT, VIOLENT AND BROKE-ASS KANSAS CITY SUMMER IN A MANNER THAT MAKES HIM SEEM TOTALLY OUT OF TOUCH WITH HIS CONSTITUENTS!!!
I wonder how the Mayor would answer that criticism OR would he just smile?
On the other hand . . . It could all be a tempest in a teapot . . . Or a scotch tumbler.
As for the Mayor's fine scotch induced planning of the All-Star game . . . Neither the Mayor nor any politico has any direct operational responsibility . . . The cash obviously would have been better spent sending the workers bees who are really responsible for KC's role in the next MLB All-Star game.
Oh, and all the talk about how much cash this minor sports event will bring to KC . . . Only fools and sports reporters believe as much.
What's most important is that The Star's Dave Helling is playing "gotcha" and that might erode the otherwise warm feelings that the people of Kansas City have for their Mayor right now.
For a blogger, you really can be a joyless prick Tony.
ReplyDeleteSo the Mayor of our city attends a major national event that our city is hosting next year, and it is a junket and wasteful spending? You are seriously misguided my friend.
ReplyDeleteThis is ridiculous. He draws a paycheck from the city just like every other employee. How he spends his money is his business and no one elses. As a city employee I prefer to spend my check on a nice bottle of Maker's Mark.
ReplyDeleteI'd say he qualifies for an honorary membership in the Capital Grille Club!
ReplyDeleteThis whole thing is in very POOR TASTE (No pun intended) We're in a DEPRESSION and the politicians party on. Tony once again is SPOT ON!!
ReplyDeleteI'll gladly pay for his $18 scotch. In fact, I'll drop a $20 off at city hall today. Give it up people. Find something worthwhile to worry your little minds about.
ReplyDeleteHe got caught with his hand in the cookie jar, now he is saying he never expected to be reimbursed. Yeah, that's the ticket! He never expected to be reimbursed! Why would anyone suspect a Jackson County politician would ever do something improper?!?
ReplyDeleteThe commenters on this site come from the shallow end of the gene pool. There is no story here.
ReplyDeleteNobody needs a drink more that the Mayor of Kansas City, Mo!
ReplyDeleteTony, I bet you would not object if it was tequila.
ReplyDeleteHa ha. Sorry hon, you know you set yourself up for that one.
The KING of Bullshit.
ReplyDeleteSly the sellout Mayor.
Kansas City at a price.
Funk wins.
ReplyDelete1:43 PM Right up there with Clinton.
ReplyDeleteI smoked but never inhaled.
LOL.
Sly's doing just fine, and people who think otherwise are simply uninformed(and probably uninformable). He can spend his money as he wishes, and we should thank him for planning ahead...and I personally thank him for being so very superior to his predecessor.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Sly is better than Funk. But that's no great achievement. We can do even better. Sly must do better.
ReplyDeleteIf this junket cost $10,000 (as I have seen stated elsewhere) my only question is:
ReplyDeleteIf the Mayor was traveling on his own dime (and not the City dime) would he still have spent $10,000?
Or, as I suspect, do you think he might have found a way to spend a bit less, considering that it would be coming from his personal bank account, and not from a pool of tax dollars.
I like Mayor Sly. I do. But I am of the opinion that he should watch out for these kinds of landmines. We are in a deep recession, government at every level is borrowing money to stay afloat. It looks *very bad* to take a trip to an all-star game while your city is rotting from the inside out.
It just looks bad. And it is bad, if in fact it ends up costing taxpayers anywhere near $10,000.
That is almost an entire month of the Mayors salary (yeah, wrap your head around that for a second. I'll let that sink in on the many levels it applies).
Well, just make a simple comparison. How many sets of Negro League uniforms could have been purchased for what the Royals' brass and city hall hangerson spent for their little junket to the All Star Game. The Royals couldn't afford 20 grand to honor the Negro Leagues, a story that broke as they were leaving for Arizona, by the way. But the mayor and his colleagues could afford 10 grand for this nice little vacation?
ReplyDeleteSuch a lot of hissy-fitting over this. The All Star Game - which is a whole week's worth of activities - will bring $$$ and attention to KC. OF COURSE City officials want to check it out and get a head start on next year.
ReplyDelete7/26/11 2:49 PM
ReplyDelete"He can spend his money as he wishes"
Your a fucking idiot it's Taxpayer's dollars.
This Mayor Sly is going to make the Funk look good.
ReplyDelete"and I personally thank him for being so very superior to his predecessor." - Funk didn't set the bar very high. But Sly needs to have his act together, and better not get caught as a member of the Capital Grille Club.
ReplyDelete2:54 how is Sly better than Funk? neither of those fucksticks have done shit for this city!
ReplyDeleteDid he get the Mayor Pro Temp drunk and did he get lucky?
ReplyDeleteWhen is the mayor going to speak about the violence?
ReplyDeleteThe City council has nothing to do with the All Star game. They do not plan it, they do not arrange for it, nothing.
ReplyDeleteSo how does going and seeing it make it "more likely" that this town will see revenue? I do not see the relationship.
Christ T, give all of us a break! The Mayor and all the other city honyocks went to Phoenix cause KC is hosting the All Star game next year. Hello? What are you missing? And who gives a crap if he drank a Scotch or a Vodka? Give it a rest.
ReplyDelete