By RUTH FINCH and JEFF BRANSCOME
Hawaii may be famous for its sand and surf, but Stafford County Supervisor Bob Gibbons says he's more interested in the island state's roads.
Gibbons is one of three supervisors in the Fredericksburg area who plan to fly to Honolulu next month to attend the National Association of Counties' five-day annual conference.
But Gibbons and Caroline County Supervisors Wayne Acors and Calvin Taylor say the July 15-19 session will be a working trip.
"Hawaii is one of the leading states on the program they have done for their rural roads," Gibbons said. "We are going to look at them and try to understand how they did it."
Media inquiries have government officials from across the U.S. mainland defending their decisions to attend the conference. Some boards have even decided not to allow any of their members to attend.
"I certainly would not have had it in Honolulu if I had my choice, but unfortunately I don't get to choose the place," Taylor said.
Although some government officials have canceled their plans to fly to Hawaii courtesy of taxpayers, a NACO spokesperson says the turnout is expected to settle at about 3,000.
"We're doing totally fine with registration," said spokesman Jeremy Ratner. "We've had about the same number of cancellations we do every year."
Jim Campbell, the executive director of the Virginia Association of Counties, said about 67 delegates--100 if you count spouses--will represent Virginia at the conference.
"I think our delegation is about the same size we always send," he said.
Ratner--who has been interviewed by numerous newspapers--said he thinks criticism of the trip is a slight to Hawaiians.
"There seems to be this prevailing notion that no one can do work in Hawaii," he said.
Most supervisors in the Fredericksburg area opted out of the trip for varying reasons. Spotsylvania County, for instance, discontinued its NACO membership last year.
"We didn't seem to be taking advantage of NACO conferences," County Administrator Randy Wheeler said.
Besides, he said, the Virginia Association of Counties holds conferences a little closer to home.
The three local supervisors say they usually attend the NACO conference, which was held in Phoenix last year. They say it enables them to network with their peers and learn more about key issues, such as growth and transportation.
Stafford and Caroline counties will pay $415 for the conference registration for their supervisors, plus costs for meals and transportation. Caroline's supervisors will fly on economy seats for $740 each. Stafford officials were still unsure about travel costs yesterday.
All three supervisors purchased extra plane tickets for their wives from their own pockets. And Acors and Taylor have tacked on a couple days of vacation, also at their own expense.
"I've always paid for my wife," said Acors, who said he travels everywhere with his spouse of 40 years.
Officials in both counties said they could not verify hotel costs, which range from $179 to $295, according to an online hotel reservation form for attendees.
Advertisements for one of the hotels, The Royal Hawaiian, state that "the beach is at the guest's disposal." But supervisors say they'll spend most of the day in conferences, soaking up information instead of rays.
"People who know me know I'm not going to lay out in the sun," Acors said.
Still, Caroline's decision to fund the trip could pose political risks. Some residents have criticized supervisors for considering a 2 percent gas tax to fund transportation improvements.
Supervisors said the county's road needs cost much more than a trip to Hawaii.
"You're not going to pave roads for $3,500," Taylor said.
Every year, Caroline sends one or two supervisors to NACO's annual conference, which will be held in Richmond in 2007. Those trips never drew media attention, Acors said.
"In the 18 years that I've been on the board, there have been at least two people attending all the NACO conferences," he said.
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