Monday, July 1, 1996

San Antonio Mayor well-traveled during his first year

By KELLEY SHANNON
Associated Press

SAN ANTONIO - Mayor Bill Thornton traveled more his first year in office than the mayors of Dallas and Houston each did in the same period, and among his journeys were six international trips.

Thornton, who graduated from Abilene High, took office in June 1995 and in the ensuing year took 21 out-of-town trips, according to city records examined by The Associated Press. That compares with 20 official trips by Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk and eight by Houston Mayor Bob Lanier in the same period.

Thornton's six trips abroad - the most by any of the three big-city mayors - included four visits to Mexico, one to Lithuania and one to Jerusalem. He traveled to Washington, D.C., seven times and New York three times. He also went to California and Philadelphia, among other places.

"The mayor is the only person, singular person, who has the opportunity to represent a city," said Thornton, who considers the travel productive.

Thornton said he took many of the trips to contact companies about doing business in San Antonio, to foster international trade and to attend presentations on the city's bond rating.

Most of his trips to Washington, D.C., were for meetings about Kelly Air Force Base, the city's largest employer with more than 10,000 civilian workers. Since Kelly has been targeted for closure,
Thornton and other local officials have been lobbying to keep its jobs here through privatization.
On a week-long trip to Lithuania in October, Thornton led a delegation to teach leaders there about local government. That $2,325 trip was paid for by the Baltic States Foundation of the National League of Cities.

In March, Thornton spent a week in Israel at the International Jerusalem Conference of Mayors to discuss ethnic diversity in San Antonio. The American Jewish Congress paid for the $3,500 trip.
Some of Thornton's other trips also were paid for by outside groups. City-funded travel by Thornton in the 12-month period cost taxpayers approximately $14,500.

Thornton, who as mayor receives $20 per council meeting plus $3,000 annually, said he depends on his oral surgery practice for his livelihood. Time spent traveling is time away from his private practice, he said.

"I am certainly not looking at these (mayoral trips) as opportunities to leave. If anything, I need to be in town working," he said.

Kirk, who took office as Dallas' first black mayor last June, traveled out of town 20 times during the year in his capacity as mayor and as a board member of DFW International Airport. Several trips involved mayoral conferences or gatherings of city officials from across the nation.

His two international trips were paid for by outside organizations, not taxpayer money. One was a two-day trade mission to Toronto, the other an 11-day trade mission to southern Africa that cost $7,630.

Kirk's city-funded trips cost a total of $7,855, according to figures furnished by city officials. That does not include trips paid for by the airport board ($2,836) or other organizations.

Among Kirk's mayoral travels not funded by the city were trips to attend black awards programs paid for by the NAACP Houston chapter and the University of Virginia.

He also visited Pittsburgh, Pa., to collect on a Super Bowl wager after the Cowboys beat the Steelers. That two-day trip was paid for by wager contributors.

Kirk's executive assistant, Kristi Sherrill, said her boss is "very much in demand" but has accepted few speeches outside of Dallas so he could concentrate on his first priority - Big D.

"He's a very dynamic speaker and he's certainly energized the Dallas community," she said. "His reputation is beginning to precede him."

She said his business-development trip to South Africa has already begun bearing fruit.
"I know personally it was something very important to him, but it was also important for the business community. It was something they had been asking for," Sherrill said, adding that people had been reluctant to do business with South Africa until apartheid ended.

Houston Mayor Lanier traveled on official business eight times and never stayed longer than three days, records show. Seven of the trips dealt with professional football or the planned move of the Houston Oilers.

Lanier's trips cost the city $13,502.

"He likes to be here," said Lanier spokeswoman Barbara Linkin Mendel. "He doesn't like to miss council meetings."