I thought it odd that city manager Mary Suhm made a point to defend city council travel junkets when she was in Lakewood last week. Now I know why — city council travel could turn into a nice little brouhaha just in time for May’s council elections.

District 14 councilwoman Angela Hunt told Dallas’ Ony Daily Newspaper that she won’t take any taxpayer money for her trips, and paid $1,300 for a recent visit to San Francisco out of her campaign treasury. The city, facing a $100 million budget defict, can’t afford it. Said Hunt: "It just sends the wrong message in this economy. Not spending tax money – it just seems like the right thing to do."

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Several of her council collegeagues didn’t appreciate this stance. They insisted that this kind of travel is essential to the city’s well-being, and that they couldn’t afford to pay for it with campaign money.