DENVER — In October 2016, a delegation from Denver took off for Dubai to pursue “important business and tourism connections.”
Mayor Michael Hancock, a top deputy, and two city council members flew business class on Emirates Airline. They stayed at The Palace Downtown hotel for a week. Total cost of the trip, including incidentals, paid for by Denver International Airport: $16,502 a person.
Top city officials argued to the Denver Board of Ethics in late 2017 that they shouldn’t have to report this kind of travel — hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth, especially when business class upgrades are involved — because the city is the city, and the city can’t donate to, or influence itself.
Read more: https://www.denverpost.com/2018/05/21/denver-international-airport-city-council-ethics