Taxpayer money should be spent on the city, not trips

Should taxpayers have to foot the travel bills for elected officials?
That’s a question some residents might be pondering, since it’s come to light that the mayor and past and present city councilmembers traveled to Washington D.C. on the taxpayers’ dime.
And the adjacent question is, just what did the city get in return?
It appears to us the city got absolutely nothing for the thousands of dollars doled out to the elected officials to enjoy fancy meals, to hobnob with others, and, in the worse-case, to enjoy a political celebration among thousands of other revelers that had nothing to do with city business.
It would be one thing if we were paying our elected officials to go to the various seminars that are offered by the Michigan Municipal League so they can better understand their jobs, and the issues facing urban cities and small towns.
Instead, we got photos of them posing with other elected officials.
There’s a fine line between going on trips that serve only their ego, and going on trips where they actually learn something.
And, as for billing taxpayers to enjoy a political rally in Washington D.C.? Pay your own ways.
On top of that, there’s an allegation, based on surveillance by a private investigator, that two of the councilmembers are not even residents of the city.
We are all in favor of our elected officials getting themselves educated and trained at the expense of taxpayers, but enough of the vanity trips.
If they had any decency or shame, they’d reimburse taxpayers for their own personal travel pleasure.
Hamtramck deserves better.
Posted May 16, 2025