One year after Councilman Alfred Dowe resigned amid controversy over his spending for meals and travel, the rest of the council members have cut back on their own spending.
Here are the numbers, not counting Dowe’s $15,000-plus expense account: In 2007, the other six members of the council billed nearly $20,000 worth of meals, travel and lodging to their city-issued credit cards. In 2008, that figure was down to $16,045.14.
While last year’s expenses for out-of-town conferences and training sessions remained fairly steady, billing for in-town meals was down considerably.
Council members are now much less likely to take a colleague, city staffer or guest to a local restaurant and charge it to the city, according to their statements of economic interest on file at the municipal clerk’s office.
“Until the situation came up with Alfred, we really weren’t as observant as we should have been,” Vice Mayor Sherman Lea said. “It was something that had gotten out of hand.”
Skipping dinner
A recent example of the newfound frugality came when five council members and three city officials traveled to Richmond to meet with local lawmakers about pending legislation affecting the city. In the past, the annual event included dinner at a downtown restaurant. Last year’s tab came to $422.50.
This year, at the suggestion of Councilman David Trinkle, they skipped the dinner.
With some help from Del. William Fralin, R-Roanoke, Trinkle found an empty conference room in the General Assembly building. There, the city’s business was discussed — with no wining or dining. Trinkle was back on the road to Roanoke by 6 p.m.
“We don’t need to be spending money we don’t have to spend,” especially during tough economic times that have led to job losses and possible school closings in Roanoke, he said.
Only three members of the council have been in office for all of 2007 and 2008. Among them — Trinkle, Lea and Gwen Mason — the number of charges for in-town meals with a guest dropped from 26 in 2007 to 10 in 2008. (Not included in that number are events that include a meal, such as a Chamber of Commerce luncheon.)
The four newcomers to the council charged a total of just two in-town meals in the second half of last year.
“My philosophy is that if I’m in town, even if it’s on city business, my preference is to just pay for my own meal and not use city money for that,” said Court Rosen, who was elected to the council last spring.
Cutting distant travel
A meal on the town is more likely to come when an elected official is out of town.
Council members continue to attend conferences of the Virginia Municipal League. Last year’s conference in Norfolk, which lasted several days, cost about $1,000 per person.
But Trinkle said he expects there will be little appetite for other conferences, which in the past have taken council members to more far-flung locales such as New Orleans; Reno, Nev.; and Washington, D.C.
“I just don’t think any of us are going to be champing at the bit to go to any big conferences this year,” Trinkle said. “And I don’t think that will hurt us for one year.”
Mayor David Bowers had planned to attend the annual meeting of the United States Conference of Mayors in Washington, D.C., last month. But as the economic situation worsened, he decided to cancel — even though he had to repay the city a $575 registration fee out of his own pocket.
Bowers said it can be a challenge for elected officials to defend the cost of such conferences, even when they get a good return on their money.
“People think they’re junkets,” he said. “And yes, there’s probably a little bit of a junket in there. But it can be a very good place for us to network and get valuable information.
“But, having said all that,” he added, “now is not the time.”
Setting limits
One year ago today, Alfred Dowe decided to give up his Roanoke City Council seat.
Dowe’s resignation, which was effective Feb. 23, came several days into a controversy that began with news of his expense account. In 2007, Dowe spent $14,604.03 on meals and travel — nearly as much as the rest of the council combined.
Dowe defended the charges at first, saying he was trying to become better connected with city residents and community leaders. But he resigned after it was revealed that he had billed both the city and the state for some of his charges.
By that point, then-Mayor Nelson Harris had already called for a review of the policies that govern how much, and under what circumstances, council members can charge for meals and travel.
A new policy adopted in May set a $3,360 annual limit for each council member.
According to statements of economic interest, spending by the council in 2008 ranged from $2,670.69 by Mason to $1,462.11 by Alvin Nash.
Those figures don’t tell the whole story, though: Four new members who joined the council last year had only half a year’s worth of expenses. The same goes for four departing members.
The mayor’s position continued to carry the biggest expense account; the combined total for Bowers and Harris came to $3,749.01 last year.
Under the city’s new policy, meals that are “principally related to understanding and promoting the mutual interests of the citizens of Roanoke” can be charged to the taxpayers.
But by opting to pick up the costs themselves, or by going Dutch in more informal meetings over coffee, city council members are beginning to follow a practice common in Salem, Roanoke County and other jurisdictions.
Facing criminal charges
Meanwhile, Dowe is facing criminal charges.
A grand jury indicted him earlier this month on 11 counts of obtaining money by false pretenses. Dowe is accused of using his city credit card to charge rental cars and hotel rooms for trips to Richmond to attend meetings of the Department of Criminal Justice Services, a state agency for which he was a board member.
After his indictment on Feb. 2, Dowe turned himself in and was booked on the charges: eight felonies and three misdemeanors. He was allowed to remain free on a personal recognizance bond.
His next hearing is scheduled for March 2. At that time, a trial date may be scheduled in a case that has already led to changes at city hall.