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Sep 23, 2008 10:07 pm US/Central
DFW Airport Board Member Travels 'In Style'
DFW AIRPORT (CBS 11 News) ―
It's up, up and away with your money, especially if you are on the board of directors at the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. In a time when every penny matters, even the people who set policy at the airport live high on the hog with your wallet.
Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief is one of the most recognizable faces in North Texas. But how many people know him in Dubai? CBS 11 News has learned you paid for his first-class ticket to the resort destination in the United Arab Emirates. You paid for his unarmed bodyguard's trip, as well.
The purpose for the mayor's trip was to drum up new airline business. Moncrief's first class seat cost you $10,000 and you paid another $8,000 for his unarmed bodyguard to fly in business class.
CBS 11 News asked the mayor "Why do you think it was necessary for you and your bodyguard to go first class over to UAE, United Arab Emirates?" His response, "Bennett, you have my statement, and that's all I have to say about this matter."
It turns out Moncrief's bodyguard wasn't even sitting next to the mayor on the 15-hour flight from Dallas to Dubai. CBS 11 News took a look at the seat map. While the Mayor enjoyed his first-class seat on the second level of a 747, the bodyguard sat downstairs, in business class. That mean he wasn't even within eyesight of the mayor, basically unable to protect him.
Moncrief's statement doesn't answer the question. The mayor would only state these trips "are necessary and appropriate-now more than ever-as we search for new ways to support continued trade and tourism."
According to expense reports, you also paid about $6,000 for Moncrief and his bodyguard to stay at fine hotels, including a 2-night stay at the Shangri-La Hotel. It's located on a stretch of private beach overlooking the ocean. The bathrooms are covered in marble and mosaic tiles, with a monsoon shower. You also shelled out some $90 to do Moncrief's laundry.
Michael Q. Sullivan is president of the consumer watchdog group Texans for Fiscal Responsibility. Sullivan says, "Mayor Moncrief should be ashamed of himself. It signals that being on the board of DFW Airport is a great way to have an expensive vacation."
Lillie Biggins is the chair of the DFW board of directors. During a recent event at the airport, she told members of the public, "We're committed to servant leadership on this board, which is built on the foundation of trust."
Biggins wouldn't respond to our story on camera, but it appears she didn't have any issue with the way executives travel.
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