There continues to be a stream of stories criticizing local officials in Michigan who are planning to attend an upcoming conference in Waikiki.
Here’s an except from one column:
Michigan, you may recall, is in the midst of a staggering economic slump and local governments are talking about the Draconian cuts they will have to make because taxes just aren’t high enough.
“The leaders of Detroit and Lansing keep telling the public they’ve cut spending to the bone, yet they can say that with a straight face while getting ready to fly to Hawaii on the taxpayers’ dime,” said Leon Drolet, executive director of the Michigan Taxpayers Alliance, in the story.
Meanwhile, the Detroit Free Press reports that some are cancelling their trips under the continued public pressure.
Oakland County reversed course on paying for four employees to attend the annual convention of the National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems after a Free Press article Thursday sparked outrage that taxpayer-funded pension plans would pay the tab.
Those workers now must pay their own way if they go, County Executive L. Brooks Patterson ruled.
And once again I don’t see any indication that the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau or the Hawaii Tourism Authority have presence in deflecting this kind of damaging criticism. That seems to be a serious omission.
