news-record.com

Taxpayers spent more than $170,000 to send Gov. Mike Easley, his wife and a dozen others on a nine-day business-recruiting trip to Italy.

The expenses ranged from $700 for a lunch for eight in Rome to $52,000 for a daily chauffeured Mercedes just for North Carolina's first couple, referred to on the invoice as "Governor Easley and Lady Easley."

The state released documents concerning the April trip after a public records request, but the bills are still coming in. Still unknown are expenses for Easley's security detail and the head of the state Commerce Department.

The trip was designed to recruit industry to North Carolina and pitch the state as a tourist destination, especially because the euro is strong and Europeans can visit cheaply now. The dollar's weakness was starkly illustrated by hotel bills that topped $590 for two nights in Florence. Four years ago, that same bill would have been $160 cheaper at the going exchange rate.

State officials say the trip has already led to as many as six promising leads of new or expanding business. It led to at least two news stories in Italian publications highlighting North Carolina as an attractive tourist destination.

''The trip was a success," said Jim Fain, secretary of the Department of Commerce. If one or two businesses locate or expand in the state, the trip would pay for itself in new tax revenue, officials said.

Fain, whose expenses for the trip were not yet available, was appointed to his cabinet position by Easley, a Democrat nearing the end of his second and last term.

The delegation toured a winery and held meetings and luncheons with business leaders. Easley's role was often to give brief remarks before turning the program over to someone else. At a luncheon in Padova hosted by a pro-business group, Easley was scheduled to speak for four minutes of the 90-minute program. At a gathering for reporters and travel agents, Easley was scheduled to mingle for 25 minutes before addressing the group.

Many of the dinners taxpayers paid for, though, included only North Carolinians and their aides. In Rome, they dined at Ristorante Pierluigi for $599.84 and at Piccolo Mondo Osteria for $508.25.

Fain said the governor was needed on the trip because he was a draw for business leaders, government officials and reporters. Events were well-attended, likely because of Easley's presence, he said.

Sherri Johnson, Easley's communications director, accompanied Easley on the trip. But she referred most questions about the trip to Fain.

Johnson said she helped Easley deal with Italian news media and stay in touch with what was going on in Raleigh. She was responsible for making sure that Easley was in the right place and that he knew whom he was meeting.

''It's my job to assist the governor and make sure his goals for the trip ... were achieved," Johnson said. "I think it's kind of odd that you think he would go without a staff person."

The largest single expense of the trip was a chauffeured Mercedes S-Class sedan and Mercedes van available for Easley and his wife. The car alone and its driver alone cost as much as $3,600 on a single day, according to an invoice from Green Line Tours.

When asked why Easley and his wife needed a chauffeured luxury car, Johnson referred questions to the Department of Commerce.

''We had no idea that that was what was going to be the mode of transportation until we got there," Johnson said. "We didn't request that type of car and we didn't expect that. I think you need to ask Commerce why they chose that."

A Commerce official said the decision was made by Easley's security detail.

Bryan Beatty, head of the agency that handles Easley's security, said the car was necessary to ensure the safety of the governor. When Easley travels to other states, his security team can count on police agencies to take proper precautions.

''The governor, to us, is very important. But in Italy you don't know how they will perceive him," Beatty said in an interview. "We want to make sure we're familiar with the transportation we'll be getting. The cost is what it is. We obviously don't want to request anything that's not needed."