Broadfoot: Lacey Cruse’s crime? Not getting permission from the good ol’ boys
As a former mayor of Wichita and a woman, I wish to address the “Trip to Ghana raises policy worries” article in The Eagle.
I have no problem with the stated need to have some formal policy regarding gifts, travel and disclosure relating to Sedgwick County commissioners. I do have a problem with the underlying messages in the article and comments made by Commissioners Michael O’Donnell and Jim Howell.
O’Donnell states he isn’t going to “raise a stink” about the trip unless Cruse fails to return the money to the county. Howell states, “The commissioners were not asked.” What this says to me is they are implying they cannot trust their colleague Lacey Cruse and that the good ol’ boys are miffed she didn’t get their permission to go on the trip.
What Cruse did do was go to the county manager to secure monies to arrange the trip, stating that she would pay back those monies upon her return. The initial money came out of a $106,416 fund shared by Sedgwick County’s five commissioners. Therefore, no essential services were affected by this withdrawal of funds. To date, she has raised $450 toward the $2,902.70 cost of the trip. If she committed to repaying the money, I believe her.
O’Donnell says, “I don’t think there’s a single commissioner that thinks this is important for Sedgwick County and economic development.” This statement shows O’Donnell’s shortsightedness and an inability to think outside the box.
As mayor, I visited China to establish relationships with government officials in the hopes of some kind of economic benefit, as well as a cultural exchange. Like Cruse, I did not make any formal deals on behalf of the city or local companies. I saw no trade relationship with Ghana during my tenure, but the door was opened and relationships established, I believe, with former Mayor Carl Brewer.
At every level of government, from local to national, individuals and delegations visit foreign countries in hopes of some economic development potential. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t. But there is no way to know until one tries.
I had the pleasure of sharing Cruse’s trip through social media and saw the hospital, the chocolate factory, the schools, the people and parts of the city. I got to see Ghana from her eyes and her experiences. There is something to say for exposure to other cultures, to views and experiences beyond our own myopic worlds.
If O’Donnell’s intent was to not “raise a stink,” then he should have declined comment to the paper and taken up the issue of a policy at the commission meeting. Cruse followed the chain of command and communication by going to the county manager. That is the least that O’Donnell and Howell could have done.