Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) is heading to Las Vegas for an “economic mission” after enjoying the Masters golf tournament in Georgia on the taxpayer’s dime.
The mayor’s website announced Friday that Bowser would attend the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) in an effort to bring retailers to the nation’s capital.
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser jets off for Vegas weekend ‘mission’ after ritzy Masters trip on taxpayers’ dime https://t.co/ECDHniz6W0 pic.twitter.com/i7e2gzvypo
— New York Post (@nypost) May 19, 2024
“This economic mission is coordinated by the Washington, DC Economic Partnership (WDCEP), which has organized the District’s presence at ICSC since 1999,” the announcement continued:
Mayor Bowser and the Partnership’s presence at ICSC has resulted in major grocery stores and retail anchors opening new stores in DC, including Lidl, Wegmans, Whole Foods, Apple, Target, Burlington, Alamo Drafthouse Cinema and others.
“We know that Washingtonians in every part of DC want access to fantastic amenities. From the Lidl in Ward 7 to the Wegmans in Ward 3, those are conversations that started at ICSC,” said Mayor Bowser. “Through programs like the Food Access Fund and the Neighborhood Prosperity Fund, we have made good progress in filling amenity gaps, but there is still more to do to ensure greater accessibility and equity — and filling those gaps and supporting the continued transformation of Downtown will be a focus of this trip.”
The news comes after Bowser attended the Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Georgia, in April and used taxpayer money for the trip, according to Truth Voices.
Her public calendar said it was part of a “sports and economic development visit.”
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Social media users shared their thoughts on the upcoming Las Vegas trip, one person writing, “More retail for the thieves to snatch? Who’d want to put a store in D.C.?”
“These politicians are stealing our money and going on vacations then trying to tell it is for climate while they’re jumping on planes flying everywhere,” another user commented.
It is important to note that the nation’s capital recorded more homicides in 2023 than any year since 1997, per a report which also noted that “the rate of homicides was 40 per 100,000 residents.”
