The total M&I (SP-EYE note: the bank for which candidate Terry Shimek works) credit card bill for January was $6,097.31. Except for a very small amount, it was for travel to conventions (hotels, food and parking). The Westin Hotel in Boston billed the district on January 17 (which was paided in the January bill) for a stay on April 2nd. Why would we pay that far in advance?
The joint WASB convention in Milwaukee, January 22 to January 24 (2008), was the real party at a total cost of $4,676.25 to the district. The attendees were school board members Tim Boylen, Mary Ellen Havel-Lang, David Stackhouse, Caren Diedrich, Jim Carrel, and John Whalen. (SP-EYE note: only Jim McCourt was absent; in the past they have limited attendance to only 2 board members). In addition, District Administration was represented by Tim Culver, Phil Frei, and Rhonda Page.
The room rate was $137/night for single rooms and Whalen had a room for 2 adults at $154/night. (SP-EYE hopes the taxpayers didnt pay for two!). I didn't ask and I don't know who his roommate was, but I don't think it was a school board member because the rest all had single rooms. On January 24th they all, except Phil) went to Butch's Old Casino Steakhouse, where most of them had 12 ounce steaks. The bill for dinner was $339, including a $45 tip, which turns out to be more than $42 per person, which I assume they would claim was reasonable and necessary.
(SP-EYE note: The school board recently revised a policy setting maximum amounts for meals and per diems for Local 60 and SPEA (teachers) unions. When asked to impose the same restrictions on themselves, most refused and gave excuses such as "we don't get paid enough for what we do", or "we have to use personal vacation time to attend conferences". Both are pretty much "do what we say, not as we do" arguments. In the end they felt that they would all be responsible enough to spend only what is "reasonable and customary". It is noted that Caren Diedrich was one of the lone board members who stated that board members should be held to the same standards. Wonder what she had???. )
See Butch's Old Casin & $teakhouse menu (and pricing) at: http://www.butchssteakhouse.com/files/28289950.pdf
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