Honolulu a controversial
convention destination

Politicians attending a county
conference here are under heat

A trip to Hawaii for a national convention is already generating more heat for some mainland county officials than a summer day on Waikiki Beach.

Counties convene Who: National Association of Counties, based in Washington, D.C., representing two-thirds of the nation's 3,000 counties What: 2005 Annual Conference and Exposition When: July 15-19 Where: Hawai'i Convention Center Web site: www.naco.org

The National Association of Counties is holding its annual conference in Honolulu July 15-19. But constituents in some areas are not happy their elected officials are spending thousands of dollars of taxpayer money to come here.

"I just don't feel like a trip to Hawaii is feasible, is a smart thing to do when the county government is asking the people for more money," said Sammy Hinson, president of the Columbus County Citizens for Better Government, a North Carolina government watchdog group. "We have nothing against Hawaii -- I'd like to go there, too -- but we have other priorities right now."

Rex Johnson, president and chief executive of the Hawaii Tourism Authority, said Hawaii has apparently done too good a job of promoting itself as a vacation destination.

Johnson said that the criticism that people who come to these conventions are only here to play is "hogwash."

"We know because we have a lot of conventions, and we see how hard people work," he said.

One of the Columbus County commissioners slated to attend the conference said the trip is not a waste of money, as he brings back ideas that make him a better commissioner.

"I find in the interaction with other counties throughout the nation that there's some vital information that can enhance our abilities here, sharing ideas, and I find those workshops invaluable," Commissioner Amon McKenzie said.

Officials with NACo agree.

"This is a serious meeting. It's educational in nature," said Ed Ferguson, NACo deputy executive director, who said some of the work conducted during the conference includes electing officers, setting policy, and educational workshops for county officials.

The Honolulu City Council is hosting the event and has appropriated $815,000 for conference planning. All four counties in Hawaii are NACo members.

Council Chairman Donovan Dela Cruz, a member of a NACo board of directors, said he has learned a lot at these conferences.

"Yes, definitely not only the networking with other counties and learning how they deal with their county issues, but it also provides a lot of insight," Dela Cruz said. "If you can learn from other counties, you can bring back a template instead of reinventing the wheel."

He said issues taken up at these conferences include homeland security, transportation, agriculture, flood control and affordable housing.

According to news reports, county officials from other places are also feeling pressure for attending:

» Louisiana's Livingston Parish Council members debated whether to spend $4,370 to send two councilmen to the convention. The amount would put the council's travel budget in the red.

» Questions were raised about four Reno County, Kan., officials spending more than $10,000 to go.

» Residents were concerned about the $30,000 price tag to send 10 members of Louisiana's Iberia Parish Council to Honolulu.

» The Mecklenburg County, N.C., travel budget increased by $3,528 to accommodate a commissioner's travel to Hawaii, while officials in nearby counties said it would look bad if they went.

Hinson said that the two Columbus County officials will be traveling to Honolulu at a time when citizens in Columbus County might be asked to pay more property taxes and after the area saw a loss of textile jobs and declining tobacco quotas.

"It doesn't look good," Hinson said by telephone. "A lot of people are just having a hard time."

Commissioner McKenzie said he does not like the implication that his going on this trip is an abuse of using taxpayer funds.

"I take that as an insult and a slap in the face. I'm really insulted. I work diligently to save this county money," McKenzie said by telephone.

McKenzie said that Columbus County is currently paying for his trip, but if need be, he would pay for his own trip. He did not know the exact cost, and other county officials with the information were unavailable, but news reports pegged the cost at $2,500.

McKenzie said he has attended three previous NACo conferences -- at Phoenix, Charlotte and St. Louis -- and this is the first time he has received this kind of criticism.

Ferguson also said that NACo had not received this kind of criticism with previous conference sites.

Johnson is not surprised that it is government officials who are coming under fire. "You might expect that, just because these people are politicians and they are criticized no matter whether you're doing wrong or right," Johnson said.

Dela Cruz said that Hawaii "is definitely a place to do business," and for government officials, Hawaii is also the perfect segue to Asia. Dela Cruz said that NACo's newspaper will talk about Hawaii as a business destination.

NACo's Ferguson said that despite the controversy, Hawaii is proving to be a popular convention site because there are already shortages in hotel rooms with attendees extending their stays beyond the convention dates.