Officials from Christchurch, New Zealand, have announced they will be sending City Councilor Gail Sheriff to Imperial Beach, this summer in order to experience first-hand the largest sandcastle competition in the United States. Sheriff will be attending the U.S. Open Sandcastle Competition (USOSC) held Aug. 7 and 8 in order to get ideas and inspiration for a similar event Christchurch is planning March 4 through 6 next year.
Imperial Beach Eagle and Times, San Diego


Gail Sheriff, Christchurch's highest paid councillor, is taking time off from her 'busy' schedule and heading to California this week - to study sandcastles.

Apparently the Pegasus Bay Charitable Trust, of which Sheriff is a trustee, is organising a sandcastle competition to run from March 4 to 6 near the New Brighton Pier.

Sheriff thinks its important to go to California to see how they build sandcastles at the two-day United States Open Sandcastle Competition.

Sheriff is very familiar with beach activities.

She spent the first three months of 2008 on a beach in Bali while on full pay. She claimed she did her council work by answering her e-mails twice a day. Sideshow Bob said at the time that he was 'comfortable' with her long absence.

The Press
has not been able to contact Sheriff - which means she ain't too keen to talk about her California jaunt.

Who's paying for this junket? No one is prepared to hold up their hand for this one which is suspicious in itself.

The Pegasus Bay Charitable Trust says it doesn't know and Sideshow Bob says he is 'unaware' of any council funding for Sheriff's trip. Mmm, Bob isn't denying there's possibly been some council funding, only that he's personally 'unaware' of it.

Come on. This is yet another dismal example of councillors riding the gravy train.

Gail Sheriff is on nearly $140,000 a year yet she seems to think she can swan off anytime she feels like it. Did Sheriff apply for leave from the council to take this trip?

Sideshow Bob's failure to prevent this junket is not surprising given that Sheriff is one of his loyal council supporters.

1 comments:

  1. I was involved in a 'contentious" issue between a community and Council - an invite was sent from the community to all Councillors ( we were told by one of our local Councillors - and I quote " you'll have to lay on food for them, they won't come otherwise" )
    Gail Sherrif never bothered to make the 15 minute trip to the trough we'd set up for them ( No - but we WERE tempted) and yet she took part in the voting - even though the po faced old b**** made no effort to find out the communities views on the issue .. oh , and she voted against the community

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