by J. Brooks Terry
Staff Writer
An hour’s worth of discussion and debate Monday yielded little sympathy for the City’s overseas travelers.
The City Council’s Finance Committee pulled apart a proposal that would have allowed City and independent agency officials to fly business class on trips longer than six hours.
The committee approved a proposal to double per diem allowance, but the flight upgrades never made it off the ground.
Committee member Jerry Holland was among the most vocally opposed to that portion of the bill. He said the added expense might be misunderstood by the public.
“I can’t support that,” said Holland. “I know it must be uncomfortable, but when I fly, I fly coach.”
Offered by Council president Lad Daniels, the bill drew immediate criticism when it was first read last week.
Daniels said City, and specifically Port Authority reps who promote economic development, can’t prepare for their jobs when “flying at the back of the bus.”
“These are flights to places like South Africa and China, where you’re expected to get off the plane and get to work right away,” he said.
Council member Art Graham, who attended the meeting to address a different issue, said he supported the entire bill.
“There was a time when I was doing a lot of traveling, and I can tell you that it is very, very difficult to be prepared when you fly coach,” he said. “It’s hard enough in business class.”
Graham said he regularly upgraded his flights.
“We keep saying we’re going to run the City like a business and if you look at what a lot of businesses are doing, you’ll see they’re making these kinds of provisions for their employees,” he said. “I’m totally in favor of legislation that addresses this kind of thing.”
Upon hearing that a business class ticket to London would cost the City approximately $8,000, Council member Lake Ray recommended that a two-week advance purchase provision be made to keep costs down.
Last week, Council auditors found that a non-refundable coach ticket cost just over $1,000.
Ray also suggested that elected officials, including Council members and Mayor John Peyton, not be allowed to make upgrades.
Holland said that was an improvement, but he would still vote against any bill authorizing pricier tickets.
“It’s better, but I wouldn’t vote for it,” he said. “I’m just telling you now so that you’re not confused later.”
Desperate to move on to another issue, Holland recommended removing any language that referenced plane tickets.
The committee agreed, saying ticket upgrades could be addressed another time.
“We can always come back to this later,” said Daniels. “If we have to, we’ll use federal guidelines as our starting point.”