SAN ANTONIO – The News 4 I-Team Waste Watch uncovered San Antonio’s mayor spending hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to travel along with staff members and her security detail.
Now Waste Watch takes a look at Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai’s expensive international travel on your dime.
Judge Sakai leaves office next month and he’s finishing up his term traveling abroad including a $40,000 trip to Japan he’s on right now.
Bexar County just faced a $145 million deficit that forced it to scale back on capital and road projects while freezing cost of living adjustments for most employees.
“These trips are part and parcel of my commitment to keeping an austere budget, no property tax increase. So, i think I’ve been a pretty good steward of the taxpayer’s money,” Sakai told the I-Team.
Sakai is defending his use of taxpayer money to travel to Japan which is his third trip to that country since he took office.
Last month Sakai also traveled to the Czech Republic at a cost of up to $25,000.
“What’s the purpose of these trips?” asked the News 4 I-Team’s Jaie Avila.
“These purposes, especially to Japan, is to keep the relationships that we have,” Sakai said, adding that his trips have been key to Toyota’s expansion on the southside, and to attracting manufacturers like Sanko Plastics and American Katerra.
“We’ve had $5.7 billion of investment money coming to Bexar County as a result, and nearly 8,000 jobs. So, I think that’s a pretty good return investment for these trips,” said Sakai.
“Would we still have that investment if you didn’t go?” Avila asked.
“I say that we would not have the positioning and the reputation unless I go there to make sure,” Sakai responded.
Critics question the necessity of economic development travel.
“Select officials feel entitled to use our money for very nebulous purposes and it’s really questionable why governments need to be involved in economic development to begin with,” said James Quintero of the Texas Public Policy Foundation.
Sakai took along Precinct 1 Commissioner Rebeca Clay-Flores on his latest $40,000 trip to Japan, and she will travel on to South Korea at an additional cost of up to $10,000.
The travel was approved by county commissioners on the consent agenda without discussion at a meeting last month.
Commissioner Grant Moody opposed it saying “staff amended the consent item literally 10 seconds before we voted on it. This complete lack of transparency and abuse of the agenda process was simply shocking.”
“Should travel like this be discussed in court where the public can see what’s going on?” Jaie Avila asked.
“That’s a good point,” Sakai said. “But at this point, the reason why it was on consent is because the majority, if not unanimous, consent of the court approved those measures.”
Sakai says the public can see items on the consent agenda, which is posted in advance, and sign up to make public comment. But he says no one has ever done that about his travel.
Source: news4sanantonio.com
