Records show Mandarin room rate was $195, not $800, per night for PV council members

Records from the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington D.C. show Prairie Village city council members Ruth Hopkins and Diana Ewy Sharp were charged $170 per night plus $24.65 in taxes during their July 2005 trip to a National League of Cities conference, according to information released today by City Administrator Quinn Bennion. UPDATED: Click here to view Hopkins’ receipt.

A group of Prairie Village residents have been claiming that the hotel stay cost the city $800 per night.

The total the city paid for Hopkins’ stay at the Mandarin was $802.41, and included four nights and one meal. The $646.93 the city paid for Ewy Sharp’s stay included three nights and two meals. The Mandarin was the host hotel for the conference.

Bennion also said he had conferred with every council member who had incurred airport transportation expenses, and confirmed that not one trip was taken in a limousine. Charges billed from “KC Limousine” were for airport shuttles or car services.

Ewy Sharp issued the following statement regarding the accusations that the city had paid for limousines and $800 a night hotel stays:

I am disappointed that Prairie Village City Council Members and Mayor Shaffer are being attacked by speculations and assumptions versus facts. We are elected to be good stewards of the taxpayer’s money. I still stand by my original statement that I do not believe there have been abuses in my travel expenses and that is based on factual evidence and reports.

If these two particular accusations are not based on facts, it makes me wonder about all the other accusations Ms. (Jori) Nelson is making.

(We’ll update this post if we get additional statements or comments from those involved).