City Council irked
at mayor’s travel

Members learn only now
of the 27 trips in 2004
and their cost

January and July.

Those are the only two months in 2004 that Mayor Jeremy Harris didn't travel outside of Honolulu, according to records released to the City Council yesterday.

The records also shows that the city paid nearly $23,000 for some of the 27 trips taken by Harris, while the hosts of the events he attended paid another $15,000 in travel expenses.

The information was released after Councilman Charles Djou complained to the state Office of Information Practices that he had been asking the Harris administration in vain for months for details of the mayor's travel.

"It finally has come through," Councilman Charles Djou said. "I continue to be concerned about the numerous trips the mayor has taken, based on this list the mayor has provided."

But administration officials said that the information already had been disclosed to different media outlets upon request.

Budget Director Ivan Lui-Kwan also said that the trips were either made to accept awards on behalf of the city or were for speaking engagements for the mayor to describe Honolulu's successful strategies.

The information was released on the same day the Council took up a resolution calling on the city auditor to investigate the mayor's travel expenses. The Council approved the resolution 5-4.

Even those who voted against the resolution took the administration to task for not disclosing the information to the Council sooner.

"I share the frustration of the Council. I think it's a bit disingenuous for us to be told on this day that the mayor has made all of this information public," Councilwoman Barbara Marshall said. "I think it's ridiculous, frankly."

In response, city spokeswoman Carol Costa said the mayor believes that Djou has been playing politics. Harris feels that it was inappropriate for Djou to misuse his office for political purpose, and for Djou to do the same with the auditor's office, she said.

According to the records, the mayor took 27 trips during the past year, 11 of which were to foreign destinations, like Hong Kong, China, Australia, Chile, Saipan, Stockholm, Canada and Japan. Domestic travel included trips to South Carolina, Colorado, Arizona, Chicago, Boston, Utah, San Diego and three trips to Washington, D.C.

In each case, the cost of the trip was paid by the city, the event organizers or a combination of the two.

Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi said that the trips paid for by other organizations should have gone to the Council for approval as gifts, as the Council does with other departments.

Lui-Kwan disagreed.

"He has never asked in the years he's been mayor of the city for approval, mainly because of his policies of separation of power," Lui-Kwan said, adding, "these are not gifts. This is a reimbursement for engagements."