A report by the the State Auditor Thursday cited executive in residence in the provost’s office Mary Easley for excessive spending of State funds during trips to Europe with the Department of Cultural Resources.
Easley was serving as the state’s First Lady in her role as “ambassador of the arts” during the trips.
Auditor Leslie Merritt investigated trips that Easley made to France, Estonia and St. Petersburg in May 2007 and May 2008 after receiving tips regarding improper spending. The State spent over $110,000 on the trips, of which Merritt reported $45,887.25 as “unreasonable and unallowable costs.”
Among expenses deemed unreasonable was the 24-hour availability of a Mercedes SUV as personal transportation for Easley at a cost of $27,012.61, according to the auditor’s report.
Other expense charges included a caviar cocktail costing $332.12, lodging expenses averaging nearly $1000 per room a night in St. Petersburg, and ballet tickets at a cost of $1,169.56, the report stated. Additionally, hundreds of dollars in alcohol expenses were charged in violation of state policy.
“It’s clear that meals and lodging were chosen because they met the highest quality and not because they met the standard of a ‘prudent’ public servant traveling on the taxpayers’ dollar,” Merritt stated in the report.
While the state does not have specific limits on travel spending outside of the country, guidelines dictate that officials should “exercise the same care in incurring expenses that a prudent person would exercise if traveling on personal business and expending personal funds.”
The report also stated that Easley’s former executive assistant was reimbursed for both a $227.50 linen jacket purchased at a boutique in France and a hotel bar tab exceeding $100 by claiming them as meals.
Merritt’s report also questioned whether Easley’s attendance on the trips was needed.
“Any direct benefit to the state related to the First lady’s presence on the trips to France and Russia is difficult to identify,” the report stated.
SOURCE: Office of the State Auditor
