Newberry heading to Deauville, France

Lexington Mayor Jim Newberry is on his way to Deauville, France today to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Lexington-Deauville sister cities relationship.

“We weighed the pros and cons of him attending because it’s never politically popular to travel,” said Shaye Rabold, Newberry’s chief of staff. “But given the special nature of the 50th anniversary and the fact that the French delegation will be coming here later this fall, we ultimately decided it was necessary for him to attend on behalf of Lexington.”

Newberry will return from Deauville, a seaside resort on the Normandy coast about 100 miles northwest of Paris, on Monday.

“It’s a very quick trip,” Rabold said. “He asked when he absolutely needs to be there in order to represent Lexington and deliver remarks and that was Friday, Saturday Sunday.”

The trip to Deauville will cost taxpayers $1,403.64, the price of airfare. Newberry’s other costs — including lodging, food and transportation in Deauville — are being paid for by the Deauville Sister Cities program, Rabold said.

Newberry’s wife, Cheryl Ann, is accompanying him on the trip, but is paying her own way, Rabold said.

The Newberrys will be joining up with Lexington’s sister cities delegation, which left for Deauville this past Tuesday.

Besides Newberry, three other city officials are on the trip: Urban County Councilwoman Linda Gorton, General Services Commissioner Kimra Cole and Mary Wathen, the city’s liaison to the World Games Foundation Board.

Gorton, Cole and Wathen have all paid their own way, Rabold said. Gorton’s husband, Charles, is also on the trip. Cole and Wathen serve on Lexington's Sister Cities Commission.

Former Vice Mayor Mike Scanlon and his wife, Missy, and David Lord, president of the Lexington Convention and Visitors Bureau, and his wife, Sara, are also part of the delegation to Deauville.

The price of the trip is $2,750 a person for double occupancy.

The 11-day sister cities visit includes five days in Deauville, which coincides with the Deauville American Film Festival, two days in Brussels and Bruges in Belgium and two days in Paris.

- Michelle Ku

Comments

This is where the picnic dollars are going!

[Surrendermonkey]

Tell Scanlon the Paris Applebees are fantastique but very smoky.