WEJ Issue: White Elephants and Junkets (WEJ)

We know about the $500,000 building modification and huge expensive construction projects that may prove to be white elephants (WE). We know about the Junkets (J). Put them together and they spell WEJ -- White Elephants and Junkets. A few questions about junkets:

1. We still have not had full explanations for what possessed our Five City Commissioners and City Manager WILLIAM B. HARRIS (with spouses and significant others) to spend over $8100 of tax funds in NYC on a 3-4 day junket last year (later in the year voting to say ours was a "poor community," cruising cheaper permit applications (e.g., for the SJRWMD permit application for illegal dumping, which our City proceeded to do without a permit after SJRWMD asked questions January 8 and told our City not to dump at all). Here are a few questions for our Commissioners and Mr. HARRISS to kindly answer:

2. Commissioner Burk and others said meals were paid for by bonding companies -- an appearance of impropriety?

3. It was stated that dinners were at small neighborhood Italian restaurants -- often very expensive. Receipts?

4. What records exist of the money spent on Commissioners by bonding companies?

5. What other entertainment was provided? Men's clubs?

6. Will Commissioners and Mr. HARRIS share their photos?

7. Will they share their notes of meetings?

8. Are their any transcripts?

9. Are there any audio or videotapes?

10. What business was actually accomplished?

11. The Record reported other cities get bond ratings by fax, without
travel at all.

12. City officials spent some $300/night rooms in a city where the average room is $201, where rooms can be had for $150 or less. Other government travelers pride themselves on spending as little as possible.
What is it about the City of St. Augustine that makes our leaders want to spend as much money as possible?

13. Our City refuses to put its agenda packet/notebook on its website, but it can afford trips to NYC, Spain and Germany -- while wasting money on 20,000 cubic yards of illegal dumpinng. Are priorities misplaced?

14. Is waste, fraud and abuse, misfeasance, malfeasance and nonfeasance desirable?

15. Is flummery becoing a way of life in City Govevernment under City Manager WILLIAM B. HARRISS' eight year reign of error?

16. What do you think?
http://forums.staugustine.com/cgi-bin/bb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=41;t=000087 For more background, see the urls below:
Record article: Valuable trip or junket?
http://staugustine.com/stories/060505/new_3116660.shtml
Record editorial: Rationalizing NY trip worse than taking it
http://staugustine.com/stories/061005/opi_3141111.shtml
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:
Fred Green:
http://staugustine.com/stories/070205/opi_LETTER1.shtml
Ben Rich (now County Commissioner:
http://staugustine.com/stories/062803/opi_kr004759.shtml
Ed Slavin:
http://staugustine.com/stories/070805/opi_kr007223.shtml