I have asked several people over the past couple of months with the city, including city employees, officials and councilors to answer a simple question, “Was Mark Cotter’s trip to Haiti with Mayor TenHaken’s Christian Missionary paid for by taxpayers?” I have gotten a lot of “We’ll get back to you.” but mostly no answer. So unless the administration wants to say I’m lying and here are the receipts, it’s pretty safe to bet a NON answer means that the citizens paid for this religious trip.
This brings up some interesting points;
• Why are the taxpayers supplementing the highest paid city employee on a missionary trip?
• It goes against separation of church and state, and while I have NO problem with PTH or Cotter going on a religious missionary trip, it should be on their OWN time and OWN dime. I also commend them for doing charity work (even though there are many refugees in our own city that are suffering). But isn’t the whole point of charity, is that charity should come from the individual?
• There was a random comment thrown out there by PTH that Cotter was studying the infrastructure of the country. Is this some kind of sick joke? If this is your excuse for a junket, you really need to go back to the drawing table.
I have exhausted my search of whether we paid for the trip or not, I would hope someone from the public or in the media would at least demand an answer from the administration.
So I’m wondering Mark, do the trains run on time in Haiti? Are there any trains?
maybe cotter wanted to find out how to run raw sewage down the street.
LMFAO! Been there, done that!!!!!
Skirting around the truth. Great example of transparency.
Have you tried asking him? You ought to be able to figure out his City email address or write a letter.
Make sure you are decent. Nobody responds to a jerk.
Didn’t ThuneHaken once say that one of the reasons He goes to Haiti and takes others with him, is so that he can appreciate what its like to be a minority. Well, heck, why doesn’t he just rent a van and take some people to the Somalian section of Mpls., or how about out to Rosebud or Pine Ridge to get that effect?
I have asked the APPROPRIATE people in a RESPECTFUL manner. No answer.
Public service has become a way to spend public money on your own interests. In business, budget must be justified. In government, there’s a budget but you can call a vacation a convention. City employees are paid to much. They get 4 weeks vacation and a gold retirement. If they’re truly interested in social welfare here or overseas, they can donate their time and deduct donations from federal taxes like the rest of us.
MEANWHILE, we have overwhelming welfare and drug problems. We’ve picked and paid you to work on this here. There are lots of other people serving God in Haiti. Shame on you. We can scold you and you’ve embarrassed your families.
One of Cotter’s children also went on the trip.
Like I said, it is really none of my business what kind of charity work Mr. Cotter, the Mayor and their families want to do on their own time, more power to them, I’m just curious if taxpayers footed the bill.
Scott, you are completely right to look into this. IF they did use taxpayer dollars that is a newsworthy story worth talking about.
Keep up your investigations Scott!
Daily Spin: you NAILED it. Thanks for your comment.