The current Grand County Commission “conservative” majority campaigned on transparency and fiscal responsibility. With the exception of Melodie McCandless, their travel budget requests and expenditures tell a polar opposite story.
Brian Martinez, Mike McCurdy, and especially Bill Winfield overspent their already generous budgets for 2025 by nearly $4,000 for a whopping total that exceeds $15,000. They spent more than SIXTEEN TIMES as much as Jacques Hadler, Mary McGann, and Trisha Hedin.
Bill Winfield spent NINE TIMES as much as Hadler, McGann, and Hedin combined. Brian Martinez outspent them by more than $2,000. Martinez spent nearly FORTY times and Winfield more than ONE HUNDRED times as much as McGann even though she is arguably more effective.
It gets worse. Martinez’ 2026 budget of $7,500 nearly QUADRUPLES his 2025 budget. Winfield’s allocation for 2026 rose from $6,500 to $7,500 which still falls short of the $8,600 he spent in 2025. And Mike McCurdy will receive an additional $1,500 (for a total of $4500).
Meanwhile, Hadler, Hedin, and McGann COMBINED allocations for 2026 are $1500 LESS than either Winfield or Martinez, individually. Hedin even voluntarily cut her travel budget by 50%.
These numbers beg the questions: Where are they traveling? Who are they meeting? And most importantly, how do they justify the exorbitant price tags? Does the county need to implement a travel authorization policy so that we all have a better understanding of where they are spending taxpayer dollars?
The reckless, mysterious spending of Martinez, McCurdy and Winfield belies any pretense of transparency and fiscal responsibility.
Dave Bodner, Moab
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