As Asheville Regional Airport board members David Gantt, Susan Fisher and David Hillier prepare to soak up another sun-splashed day in Hawaii, Western North Carolinians woke up to a 16-degree winter morning. We’ll be happy if we hit 50 today. In Maui, the mercury will likely hit 70.
Don’t you wish you could take a winter vacation in Hawaii on the public dime? Be sure to ask the happy conventioneers what they most enjoyed about their trip.
Some fun facts about Maui:
The largest of Maui’s two volcanoes, Mt. Haleakala (House of the Sun), is 10,000 feet high and may have last erupted in the late 1700’s (anecdotal evidence) or the late 1400’s (scientific carbon dating).
The average winter temperature on Maui is 71 degrees; in summer, 78 degrees. The average ocean temperature is 78 degrees (all Farenheit).
Mt. Haleakala at 10,000 feet had a record low temperature of 11 degrees Farenheit in 1961.
Maui County includes the islands of Lanai, Molokai, and Kahoolawe.
Maui has 30 miles of white, red, and black sand beaches, and has more miles of accessible beach than any of the other Hawaiian Islands.
The rare, endemic Haleakala silversword is a distinctive, globe-shaped rosette plant with rigid (swordlike), succulent leaves densely covered by silver hairs. It flowers once (between June and September) and then dies.
Maui is about a half an hour by air from Honolulu.
The breathtakingly beautiful “Road to Hana” drive is 45 miles long, has 54 one-lane bridges and 600 hairpin turns.
More fun facts about Maui:
Number of Beaches:
81 accessible beaches. 39 have public facilities. Sands may be white, gold, black, salt and pepper, green or garnet, due to ancient volcanic activity.Number of Visitors Annually:
Approximately 2.2 million visitors visit Maui each year.Number of Whales Annually:
Approximately 3,000 whales winter in Maui waters. There are only 7,000-8000 humpback whales surviving today. An adult whale is 45 feet long and weighs 40 tons. Baby whales born in Maui waters weigh a mere 2,000 pounds.Most Popular Visitor Attractions:
The attractions and places consistently drawing the most visitors are Haleakala National Park, Lahaina Town, ‘Iao Valley State Park, Hana and the Maui Ocean Center.Parks:
There are 10 state parks, 94 county parks and community centers and one national park, Haleakala National Park.Golf Courses:
Maui has sixteen golf courses.
21 Comments
"Two are scheduled for Washington in March."
Except they’re not the same kind of conference.
"So why do the Asheville politicians go to the one in Hawaii every year?"
Because that’s the big annual conference. Just as the manager of the local plumbing supply firm might go to the Plumbing Supply 2010 in Las Vegas, and list it as a business expense so it doesn’t count as taxable income. That’s why they’re known as "deductible junkets", and the distinction between using public funds and itemizing private expenditure as tax-deductible is really just a quibble.
Check out the AAAE Web to see just how many conferences, workshops and symposia they have throuhgout the year. Two are scheduled for Washington in March. There’s a regional conference in Tennessee coming up. http://www.aaae.org/?e=showFile&l=MTGCAL
So why do the Asheville politicians go to the one in Hawaii every year? Couldn’t they do their networking, schmoozing, and shoulder-rubbing in Washington, Florida or . . Tennessee? Is the media really, really checking into this as closely as they could? Do our reporters do any basic research?
What do you say, Ash, are you chasing this one for MX?
Let’s face the facts: Asheville Airport is never going to grow very much. It has about as many flights today as can ever be expected to serve this area.
It will continue to be a small, but convenient to use airport where regional jets and commuter flights feed passengers to major airline hubs for connections
I fly from GSP, CLT, or even Atlanta, because the fares from AVL are always too expensive.
I find it amazing that the airport board of directors would think they can grow it much further. The obviously saw a chance for a winter vacation in Hawaii. I agree with the others who have said this is a waste of public funds.
Jay, thanks for the intelligent and rational commentary on this overblown story. Conferences are a necessary part of many working professionals’ careers. Whether it’s to meet people face to face to develop business contacts or to stay up to date on the current trends.
Conferences are always expensive, no matter where they are held, and conferences only work if attendance is high. To that end, a conference organizer will try to hold the conference at a location that will lure as many important presenters and attendees as possible. And, in this case, the conference is always held in Hawaii, so it’s not like it’s a new thing or unexpected.
And, as Jay pointed out, Asheville itself is a common location for regional (and some national) conferences. Who knows, maybe a contact developed at this year’s conference in Hawaii will help to bring a regional airport conference to Asheville. An event like that would bring in many times the $17,000 amount in revenue to WNC.
People do business with people, and the way to meet people is to go and meet them face to face. To begin building a relationship. Can’t do that via Twitter, Facebook, etc., at least not a relationship that’s worth anything. This conference has been held this time of year in Maui for 24 years. I’m sure the location and time were chosen that first year and have been kept for that exact reason…to entice people to attend. When leaders of an industry get together, business moves forward. We, the people, shouldn’t be complaining that these three have gone until we learn their motives. I would like to hope it was to GROW our little airport into a "minor" player, where airlines see as a future place to stop. That creates supply, and that competition lowers prices plus gives us more flights to get where we’d like to go more quickly and more easily. We should confirm that they’ve gone on the taxpayers dime (they claim they haven’t). I hear no media offering this research. We shouldn’t shame them, unless they don’t attend the conference and are just there to goof off. I’m not there to witness their actions, so I can’t comment. I hope they are mingling with the right players and meeting new ones, who will in turn go home and think of ways to grow their own organziation, and think to themselves, "let’s check out this Asheville a bit further". Don’t ever say never about growing our airport. It takes many supporting industries to get airplanes in the air. I hope they are meeting players from those supporting industries (who could open a branch office or relocate here someday) and not only the airlines themselves. I’m sure these three want to prove your comments wrong. 1, 2, or 3 attendees, ok, maybe that’s too many, but again, I’ve never attended this conference and don’t know how crowded those meetings become and how tough it is to be in the right place at the right time. Hopefully, they are not sticking together, but seperating and covering more ground. Their success, will be our success for growth. I wish them luck.
RandomAsheville has a good item from the Washington Post about government officials paying their own way to this conference . . and how few are really attending:
http://randomasheville.blogspot.com/2010/01/what-about-that-photo-of-senator-inouye.html
Ash, that post was not worthy of your otherwise fine blog. This is a tempest in a teapot.
Jay raises a good point: Asheville hosts its share of deductible junkets, and while this particular example comes across badly, I doubt there’s going to be a teabag protest outside the Crowne Plaza or Renaissance against all the incoming conventioners.
"I wonder if the board members would have wanted to attend a conference that was held in the Midwest in the middle of winter?"
Strangely enough, conferences aren’t held in the Midwest in midwinter that often. That applies whether it’s private or public enterprise.
Business is correctly done when elected officials, appointed board members, and volunteer board members exercise sound business judgment in carrying out their responsibilities. In the case of the Asheville Airport’s board of directors, they all seem to have totally lost sight of the ball and have miserably failed in the eyes of the public. Shame on them.
This is a case of greedy excess plain and simple. Only one person should have attended this conference and that should have been the paid director of the airport.
An airport as small as ours, with as few flights as it offers, is never going to be a major player on the US aviation scene. We have about as many flights at AVL now as we are ever likely to get. So, all this talk about "face time" with aviation industry leaders is BS, plain and simple.
Officials like Susan Fisher should be ashamed of taking this junket. I hope that voters will remember this next time she runs for re-election.
Shame, shame, shame on all these people for flaunting their positions and taking a winter vacation that is supported by our tax dollars.
I’m glad this blog and the newspaper are shining a light on this outrageous trip.
Wow! Can’t believe all this hoopla because these people went to a conference. I sure hope the cities and towns from all the groups that meet in Asheville every year don’t start to behave like us…..many Ashevillians will be out of work. So, these three claim the airports funding isn’t from public funds…why hasn’t anyone researched that. If true, what is the issue? They are there seeking to GROW our airport, which could make us into more of a destination, which means more work and jobs, as groups come here for conferences. Only thing I can’t figure out is why folks in the airline industry can’t get a better rate. And to Ash who complains its cold, shut up. Go to Maui yourself. I’ve been twice. It is great. Or build a fire. Quit complaining people until you have all the facts, which you don’t have, and you’re not even asking the right questions. I saw somebody on another blog asked about when upgrading to first class with the airlines mileage program (as one member supposedly did) why didn’t the city get the money for the economy ticket back…you’ve got to be kidding me. People, figure how this works before you open your mouths or stop typing. Do we want tourism here, or do we want to pay more taxes? I sure hope other destinations (yes, Asheville is a regional destination) don’t find out about our whinning or it could just be that will be enough for meeting planners to choose other cities to take their meetings to. But then, you could all bitch and gripe about paying my unemployment.
Mercy, break out the sweatshirts, put on some socks, close all the windows, the current lows on Maui are in the low 60’s. The people there are freezing right now. Hopefully it will warm up before I get there in March.
Anyone who might like to see the inside of Haleakala crater where it can actually snow in the winter and can’t go themselves can see some pictures here:
http://tropicalembellishments.blogspot.com/2006/03/hike-into-haleakala-crater.html
Yes there are lots of other issues going on in country. Ash and the other news media have done a great job bringing this to the public’s attention. $17,000 here, $17,000 there. This kind of waste adds up in a hurry.
This is public money they are spending not their own. I want to know how my tax dollars are being spent (wasted). All government boards should have to undergo this kind of scrutiny. There would be far fewer of these trips set up in remote locations. The conference couldn’t have been planned in Las Vegas or Baton Rouge or Iowa?
I wonder if the board members would have wanted to attend a conference that was held in the Midwest in the middle of winter?
This IS most definitely an important local story because it says so much about the quality and leadership of our elected officials.
It’s been the#1 thing most of my friends and co-workers have talked about. Without a doubt, eveyone is totally disgusted with these folks on the airport board.
Thank you Chris Pelly and Asheville Momma. While everyone whines no one has taken into account all that these folks do without or with minimal pay. I’ll bet all these whiners would keel over if they ever volunteered for a board or spent time as an elected or appointed official. It’s hard work, long hours, and a thankless responsibility, which takes them away from their families and their ‘real’ jobs. This is probably why the national associations hold these events in enviable places, because it gives organizations an opportunity to do something nice for these hard-working folks AS WELL AS bringing together key industry contacts. Anyone who has any brains at all knows that there is no substitute for face-time. But the cyberslacking whiners don’t seem to understand how business is done.
Dang, Jason. Haven’t got anything else to worry about?
Bahaha. Jason, I love this. I really hope that things are going well in Hawaii, though I am concerned. It looks like there might be rain tomorrow, and I would hate to see our friends get stuck inside.
What a pointless and silly post, unworthy of Ashvegas. I swear I think this whole "issue" mostly comes down to envy. All the sh*t that’s going on in our community and the nation, and our panities are twisted because of a trip to a conference in Hawaii. I think a little perspective is called for.
Per the Airport today, the next Board meeting is scheduled for Friday, February 12th @ 8:30 am in the Board Room of the Airport terminal building.
They had better consider moving it to a larger space since there will be many citizens and news media attending this public event to voice our outrage over this trip by the Board members.
Forgive the contrarion view, but this is starting to feel like piling on. Is this story really worth a week of front page stories and breathless outrage?
Yes, it wasn’t the smartest move but let’s keep perspective. David Gantt and Susan Fisher have served our city and county and region admirably for many years. They are smart people and I think the message has been heard. Enough with the palm trees and Maui weather reports. Time to move on.
Chris Pelly
Natalie, when is the next meeting of the board?
We can’t wait for the next meeting of the Asheville Airport Board. We are already quite confident that there will be a good turnout of people attending to confront these people about this outrageous trip and expense.
I think one of the benefits of exposing this is that the airport will start getting the public and media scrutiny that it should have been getting all along.
No way that a little airport like Asheville should send these people. It’s not like this airport is ever going to be a major destination or hub. It’s way too small and the prices to fly from Asheville are way too high.
What a waste……They all need to return the money now.