UPDATE: The Chip Flowers’ Travel Expenses Data Dump
State Treasurer Chip Flowers had his news conference this AM that preceded the release of travel documents from his office. You can see a clip of the news conference at WDEL plus their story. The NJ also has some video and a story. Both stories highlight the apology (from WDEL):
For the first time in this controversy, we also heard Flowers say he’s sorry.
“I sincerely apologize for the confusion and the distractions that have occurred as a result of some mistakes made in this office,” he says.
So basically there are four things Flowers says he will do:
- He’s going back to the two organizations that help reimburse the office’s travel to get funds not claimed when Velda Potter was in office (not clear if this includes the Markell term too).
- He’s hiring a new Fiscal Officer to oversee the reimbursements process. You’ll recall that he’s blamed issues with these reimbursements on the recently retired employee.
- He’s going to use his own credit card for some of his own travel, and submit for reimbursements for whatever charges he makes doing state business. This bit includes a typical bit of Floweriania:
“If I’m at a business meeting and I order three pancakes, and the reimbursement only allows for two pancakes, the last flapjack is on me,”
Because as we all know, travel reimbursements are made on a per pancake basis. Because pretty much every breakfast place charges you by the pancake.
- He’s going to cooperate with the Finance Office in reviewing the expense operation in the Treasurer’s office.
Seriously, the only one of these that is especially meaningful is the one he saved for last.
I spun through the pdf of the expenses that was released this afternoon — you can see them all here (pdf, give it time to load) — and have just a few impressions (without looking at this closely):
- He loses a fair number of receipts!
- There’s claims of personal reimbursements but no documents here that prove it.
- Lots of room service!
- Seriously, I’m surprised at the lack of allocations for these charges, but I think that is related to what I’m used to seeing in my own job. But this is the state government, so making sure these charges are allocated to the right accounts may not make any difference to how they review charges and look at trends.
I’ve still got real work to do and will take a look at these closer shortly. In the meantime, feel free to look at these and let us know in the comments what you see.
UPDATE: OK, so I’ve had some time to look at this. I thought for awhile that I really should develop a spreadsheet to help in inventorying what is here, but decided against it. This is why:
- I just don’t see how this answers the questions that are open re: what happened during the extra days in Alaska. This data dump is accompanied by a claim that he is paying for the 13th and 14th now, even though he told everyone he was working those days. He just couldn’t tell us who he was working with. Deep Sigh. If you are working, you can make that case by naming names. This might fall of the radar now that a portion of it is paid for, but it doesn’t go away without a pretty big cloud over all if it, and the fact that way too many of us simply don’t buy what he’s selling here.
- The Vermont trip in 2011 has $1234.39 receipts missing – car, gas, a train ticket, Wilmington parking. Not a crime, but missing receipts are the norm here. Not evidence of someone who is cares about good custodianship of his own budget OR in making sure that expenses are accounted for with certainty. There’s charges on Flower’s bill that got transferred to Benner’s bill, but Benner’s receipts are not here.
- This dump is just incomplete. There are portions of Benner’s receipts on various pages (a portion of a train ticket, internet charges, a car she was a designated driver for), but her receipts are missing here, or the receipts of hers that are here are a mistake.
- There’s plenty of other items, that perhaps the Department of Finance should deal with — such as the fact that plenty of these hotel stays definitely are greater than the allowable per diem.
- Release of all of this info just reinforces the idea that there is very sloppy management over at the Department of the Treasury. Whoever told him to dump this stuff, blame it on politics, and keep up the drama isn’t doing him a bit of good. All anyone wants is to know that 1) taxpayer money is being respected; 2) the Treasurer can demonstrate some fiscal discipline in his own department and 3) that the state rules are being followed. I think we have to wait for the Department of Finance audit and report to know anything for sure.
Tags: Chip Flowers, Featured
The Treasurer has not waffled on this issue. But he will pancake.
nuttingham for the win!
Slippery as butter, sticky as syrup…
Proof that he will still get re-elected unless he has a primary (and maybe even then, as incumbents aren’t easy to unseat)?
The best the State GOP could come up with is to call this “Pancakegate.”
Not just sloppy management but extravagance. Checked in at the Mandarin Oriental in DC for one night on 3/31/11. Cost: $1,070.08, which appears to be the government rate for a suite. His traveling companion (Benner) also had a room ($776.31). I’ve travelled to DC for years from CA as a fed. I’ve stayed in some pre decent hotels but never at that kind of a rate. Of course I wasn’t an elected official.
It appears that Mr. Flowers is, at a minimum, irresponsible and perhaps even ethically challenged. I hope he has little to no control over state (taxpayer) funds.
You can’t show up for a fundraiser on the Sequoia after spending the night at a Motel 6.
Which is more disgusting, (1) the fact that this clown has no problem spending $500 – $1000 per night of taxpayer money to stay in the most extravagant and luxurious hotels in North America while billing taxpayers for hundreds of dollars per day for room service and laundry service or (2) the fact that so many of his sheep are willing to “Like” his Facebook posts and defend this crook? What’s wrong with staying in a moderate priced hotel, Chipman? Does anything less than 1000 count Egytian cotton sheets chafe your tender bottom?
They don’t call him “Blue Chip” for nothing.
8/18/11 Lost receipt for Enterprise Rent a Car $871.55. From what I can tell it was a 4 day trip, max. What kind of car is he renting for over $200.00 a day? Am I missing something?
Maybe that’s why there’s no receipt.
Maybe Flowers took his opponent’s campaign slogan, “It’s YOUR money” the wrong way.
lol.
Chipman, you may have forgotten a couple conferences:
Federal Reserve Bank of BOSTON Economic Conference and speech by Ben Bernanke Oct. 18th – 19th, 2011
NACHA Council MEGA Meeting BOSTON Renaissance Hotel October 19th – 20th, 2011
drip…drip…drip The truth will slowly come out.
Flapjack, there doesn’t seem nearly the support on his page as before. I am amazed that both Flowers and Benner couldn’t manage holding onto receipts. How hard is it to be given a receipt and turn it in, especially if you are in charge of the state’s money. I don’t expect the Treasurer to stay at a dump, but there has to be some middle ground. By the amount of trips, no wonder the place was disorganized.
OK, at that rental car company a luxury car is $89 a day and a luxury SUV is $79 a day. If he did, in fact, spend $200+ a day for a car rental, it would have been an “exotic” car like a Maserati or a Porsche.
I may have to puke up every piece of food I’ve ever eaten.
@Dave, the folio for the Mandarin Hotel stay shows a 4 night stay, not a single night.
And this isn’t illegal, but he gave a speech to the Sponsors for Educational Opportunity — a group of folks doing great work with underserved kids — and got a reimbursement of $224.00 for that. This was on a trip where he says he was meeting with the NYSE and some investment banks. The money seems to reimburse the Treasurer’s office for the train fare. It looks like there was an overnight stay involved (see the train tickets date and the Essex House charges that were backed off of the state card). If a group like this asks me to speak to them and I can wrap some business around the trip, I’m not taking any money from these guys. But that’s just me.
If Chip should be arrested for anything, it should be for doing a lousy job managing our money. Chip “Blame Everybody But Me” Flowers takes great pride in claiming that he is responsible for earning The State of Delaware $30 million dollars during his regime. Let’s do the math. On a $2 billion dollar portfolio, that means that Chip has averaged approximately a 0.5% return over the past three years. The Barclays 1-5 year gov’t index has averaged 1.60% and the Barclays 3-10 year gov’t index has averaged 2.62% during the same period. We would have been better served putting our funds in a checking account. The News Journal should concentrate less on the $20,000 that Chip has blown in unnecessary travel costs and spend more time discussing the $100 + million that Chip has cost us by making poor investment decisions.
Maybe that was the advice they were getting in Alaska.
“Salmon futures could return five times your .5% rate. Plus, bear markets love them.”
Interesting research on the returns, Anon. You should contact the governor and ask about getting a seat on the Cash Management Policy Board. Be prepared, however, to be told that your suggested investment choices are far too risky.
Why have a cash management policy board for free when you can pay Credit Suisse $300,000 per year for poor returns? Like why would you stay at a Holiday Inn for $79/night when you can have Delaware taxpayers pay for you to stay at The Hay Adams for $600/night? Because you can! Bahahahahahahah
Chip’s the one who’s out there taking credit for the $30 million (aka 0.5% average annual returns). I guess now that he’s been exposed, he wants to blame the anemic returns on the CMPB. And so the blame game continues!
New State Slogan: “Delaware: Where Our Treasurer Travels Like A King”
Anon,
I’m not sure where you do your checking, but the last time I checked, most checking accounts were paying less than 0.25% interest so I think your math is a little fuzzy and your research very misleading. The fact is that the Treasurer has done an excellent job managing our money and the amount that he has spent on travel amounts to less than 0.05% of the money that he has earned for our State. A miniscule amount to pay for his vision and leadership. So what if he spent $750 a night to stay in a hotel, get some breakfast brought to the room, and have his suit pressed. As our Treasurer, he has to represent our state in a manner that is befitting an elected official of his stature, and he is entitled to spend up to $10,000 per year to that end. If he wasn’t, the General Assembly wouldn’t have given it to him to spend.
Oh lord.
No kidding.
As Treasurer, he has enough funds to pay for his own laundry. And just because you have a budget doesn’t mean you spend it all and spend it in an undisciplined way.
Was really hoping some folks didn’t make an appearance but as always….
At the end of the day even if (air quotes) Chip didn’t do anything wrong this whole business looks terrible! Between the (denied) relationship with his deputy (who does he think he is kidding), to the misuse of the State credit card by said deputy (with whom he was in a relationship), the the lost documents, to the bullshit spin and lack of accountability, this shit stinks! He can’t fix this, at least not now. This fool is on the top of the fold of the NJ when you have a crackhead mayor who won’t step down in Canada, a former headmaster arrested for kiddie porn, the drama with the ACA….And his story is at the top of the fold???
For the love of God Chip, acknowledge your role in this bullshit so we can move on!!! The biggest problem is he doesn’t think he has one.
TBT: Did you type this on state time? And just to be sure I have this right, you support taxpayer money being spent on such luxuries? If you’re a state worker, do you have a state credit card? Because I think we ought to be checking your expenses, too.
If you think that comment helps your boss, you’re sadly mistaken.
If you’re Chip himself, never mind. Just know that your career is over.
@TBT – OMG! Disgusting.
I only stay in the top 100 hotels in the WORLD! Take that bitches .http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandarin_Oriental,_Washington,_D.C.
As our Treasurer, he has to represent our state in a manner that is befitting an elected official of his stature, and he is entitled to spend up to $10,000 per year to that end.
I think the key words there are “of his stature.” So let’s see –
Chip is an underperforming Treasurer in a state that’s bleeding jobs and could possibly go back into a recession. His office is in disarray, with numerous lost receipts, and his employees charge thousands of dollars in personal items on state credit cards while state employees not of his “stature” are still praying to God every night that someday their pay will be made whole again after the cuts they took. When the public finds out his employees are using state money as their own personal slush fund, he falsely accuses another state official of being complicit in the spending. And while many people in his state are unemployed, underemployed and struggling to make ends meet, Chipman is staying in luxury hotels and driving exotic cars around and ordering lots of room service during “business trips.”
Have I left anything out?
Under those circumstances, Flowers should be taking the f*cking Greyhound to conferences, borrowing his mother’s mini van and staying at the Motel 6.
San Diego…Austin…Boston…what else am I missing?
Did anyone happen to notice the 7 day “business” trip to Seattle? I travel a lot for work but 7 days is ridiculous. He’s clearly using these trips as an opportunity to get free personal vacations. What’s taking Bonini so long to announce?
The the risk of meeting with the 1%ers in control of our money system is that you begin to think you are one of them.
We’re seeing less than 1/2 the picture. When do we get to see Chip’s reimbursement requests for the charges on his personal credit card?
I can’t believe the in-room dining expenses at literally every hotel he stays at. Complete disregard of taxpayer dollars. This guy is going to be the fuel te GOP needs next fall! Thx Chip. Please go away!
Btw. In major city’s it’s not hard to find cheaper meals close to almost every. Chipper seems to think he’s the President and not the State Treasurer
Are you ready for some football?
During my tenure I will only eat one pancake per breakfast, and one sausage link. And I will eat that pancake and sausage in the dining room.
The people demand no less.
I can promise no less…
I WILL DO NO LESS !!!
Nor will you, constitutionally, need to do any more. But keep the faux parchment.
Someone of my stature? I’m going faux watermarked linen.
How much does this guy eat?