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View Full Version : Medford hotel owners say Bush Admin. left them with unpaid bills



Jaidness
04-05-2005, 09:04 AM
Medford hotel owners say Bush Admin. left them with unpaid bills
Apr 1, 2005, 2:40 PM
MEDFORD -- It's a distant memory for most of the country, but President Bush's campaign swing through Southern Oregon is fresh for hotel owners still waiting to get paid nearly $19,000 for expenses incurred by the administration last fall.

Three hotels, including the Rogue Regency, the Red Lion and the Jacksonville Inn, report they have been waiting almost six months for bills generated mostly by the U.S. Secret Service during President Bush's whirlwind tour through Jackson County, according to an article by the Mail Tribune newspaper.

Owed $3,332.72, the Red Lion Hotel in Medford sent a letter on March 28 to the president at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

The letter written by the hotel's accountant Kirsten Yunuba Stephens, said: "My question to you: Is this how you help balance the budget at the White House by ripping off retailers in the towns you visit? If that is the case please do not come back to the Rogue Valley."

A White House representative said the hotels should direct their inquiries to the Secret Service rather than the president.

Secret Service spokesman Jim Mackin apologized for delays in getting payment to Rogue Valley hotels. "If we haven't paid it we should have paid it," he said.

He added that any hotels in the area that have not been paid should contact his office immediately. "If they are sure they are all our rooms, these are things we can work out tomorrow," he said Thursday.

Mackin attributed the delays to the Secret Service's transition to a new payment system. "We are certainly experiencing some growing pains with the new system," he said.

The Rogue Regency has been waiting for payment of $15,000 owed by both the president's and Sen. John Edward's campaigns -- the bulk of which was incurred by the Bush entourage.

"It just gets routed around the bureaucracy of the government," said Bruce Hoevet, general manager of the hotel.

He said the bill owed by the Secret Service is the longest overdue bill he's encountered at the hotel.

President Bush stayed at the Jacksonville Inn, and its owner Jerry Evans said most of the bills have been paid except $600 owed by the Office of Administration, which he thought meant the White House. "It's nothing I'm concerned about," said Evans. "I'm going to get paid."

At the Red Lion, Stephens said that a member of the Secret Service asked last week for a $400 refund on the bill because he believed his agents hadn't used a particular briefing room. She said she pointed out that a refund wasn't possible because the rest of the bill had not been paid.
http://www.kptv.com/Global/story.asp?S=3155404

cavemtmomma
04-05-2005, 11:13 AM
Thsnks for posting this, I just called the Red Lion and cancelled the reservations for our family reunion this summer. Dollars speak louder than words.

adorkablex
04-05-2005, 11:39 AM
Thsnks for posting this, I just called the Red Lion and cancelled the reservations for our family reunion this summer. Dollars speak louder than words.

Because like any business they want to get paid? The government makes sure you give them whatever money you owe them---so why shouldn't an inn do the same?

Cessie
04-05-2005, 12:02 PM
Dollars speak louder than words.


Am I missing something here? Why would this make someone boycott RL? Having these people stay is a royal pain to begin with because of security checks, limited access, etc. I'd be a little po'd if I didn't get paid too.

tigger4
04-05-2005, 12:14 PM
Thsnks for posting this, I just called the Red Lion and cancelled the reservations for our family reunion this summer. Dollars speak louder than words.


You cancelled reservations because the Government didn't pay it's bill? How in the heck can companies stay in business if they don't get paid for their services? That makes no sense to me.

nightrider127
04-05-2005, 01:23 PM
Thsnks for posting this, I just called the Red Lion and cancelled the reservations for our family reunion this summer. Dollars speak louder than words.

So I guess if you owned that inn you would have let them get away with not paying?

Would you have let the Spud Party, Democrats, Independents or the Green Party stay for free?

YankeeMary
04-05-2005, 06:58 PM
I can honestly say that I am not a bit surprised.

FetishKtn
04-06-2005, 03:24 AM
Thsnks for posting this, I just called the Red Lion and cancelled the reservations for our family reunion this summer. Dollars speak louder than words.
And the guilty yell louder than bananas.
Din't make much sense, did it?
Now we're even.

belcherpi
04-06-2005, 07:25 AM
I wouldn't want to stay at the Red Lion either. I know they deserve to be paid but the letter the accountant sent was unprofessional in my opinion. The letter should have been sent to the Secret Service since they were the ones who ran the bill up. I felt her letter was just plain rude and unprofessional. :mad:

YankeeMary
04-06-2005, 08:59 AM
I wouldn't want to stay at the Red Lion either. I know they deserve to be paid but the letter the accountant sent was unprofessional in my opinion. The letter should have been sent to the Secret Service since they were the ones who ran the bill up. I felt her letter was just plain rude and unprofessional. :mad:
Granted it wasn't the nicest letter, but its been several months, and thats alot of money. I can't imagine thinking it was ok to stay somewhere and not pay for it. Had it been any Joe Blow Citizen, we would have had to pay up front. Its THEIR bill and THEY owe it, the least they could do is pay it. It is irrelevant where the letter was sent. I would have sent it directly to the president also. I always start at the top if I am going to complain and you can't get higher than that. You would think being the president he would be embarrassed that "his" peoples bills weren't paid and seen that they were paid immediatly. And I can't imagine this was the first letter/bill sent. Thats alot of money, especially for small business.

schsa
04-06-2005, 11:37 AM
Well, if I wanted to get paid, I'd go to the top guy in the company to ask for payment. If that means Bush gets the letter, then Bush gets the letter.

Rather crappy of his staff not to pay their bills.

dlwt
04-06-2005, 01:07 PM
I dont know, I liked the letter they sent kinda got their attention FINALLY. I would be ticked to. My DH has a small business we dont get paid, the help dont get paid etc.etc. Especially if you had to accomidate them SPECIAL lots of OT etc.

cavemtmomma
04-06-2005, 04:10 PM
Do you honestly think that the president, any president is in charge of this sort of thing? To send a letter to the president is just sour grapes by this accountant. Not because she didn't get paid but because she saw a chance to disrespect the president. I will not give my dollars to businesses whose politics I disagree with. So either don't indulge in political grandstanding or expect those who disagree to take their business elsewhere.:

Hotel receives check from Bush visit
The Rogue Regency received $15,000 it had been owed since October; other businesses should have been paid as well, says the Secret Service
By DAMIAN MANN
Mail Tribune

For three Jackson County hotels expecting to be paid almost $19,000 from expenses related to last year’s presidential campaign, the wait appears to be over.

"The check is here," said Bruce Hoevet, general manager of the Rogue Regency in Medford, which was owed $15,000 and received payment Tuesday.

Jim Mackin, a spokesman for the Secret Service, said money would be electronically transferred to the hotels, which included the Red Lion Hotel in Medford and the Jacksonville Inn.

"They should be receiving the funds today," Mackin said Tuesday.

Most of the hotel bills were incurred by the Secret Service during President George W. Bush’s visit to the Rogue Valley on Oct. 14-15.


Hoevet estimated that roughly two-thirds of the hotel bill was from the president’s visit, with the remainder related to a visit by Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards.

The Secret Service owed $3,332.72 to the Red Lion from the president’s visit. Hotel officials weren’t available Tuesday to confirm whether the money had been received.

Kirsten Yunuba Stephens, an accountant at the hotel, had sent President Bush a strongly worded letter on March 28, scolding him for not paying his bills. The White House noted it was the Secret Service’s responsibility.

Since then, Don Anway, general manager of the hotel, wrote a letter apologizing to the president and encouraging him to come back to the Rogue Valley for a visit. Anway said the accountant, who still works at the hotel, was acting independently and without the hotel’s permission in writing the letter.

The Jacksonville Inn, where the president stayed, reported that it had received a partial payment for the $600 owed and expected to receive the remainder today.

Mackin attributed the delays to the installation of a new payment system.

"The lapse in payment was our fault," he said.

Mackin didn’t think delays in paying Secret Service bills was a widespread problem.

"This is the first I’m aware of," he said.

Notice that a third of the bill was from John Edwards' visit. Where's the snotty letter to him?????

YankeeMary
04-06-2005, 05:43 PM
Being John Edwards isn't the president it would be rather silly to send his bill to the white house. Regardless of whom owed the money, waiting 6 months to pay a bill is simply unacceptable and since it was the presidents people makes it worse. We as Americans expect better out of our leaders, regardless if they are republican or democrate.

cavemtmomma
04-06-2005, 05:58 PM
It was the secret service who are not "the presidents people" they protect many in our government and all the former presidents also. If you truely believe that government allways pays it's bills on time then explain to me how it takes over a week for my alimony to go from one state agency to another IN THE SAME BUILDING. That doesn't make it right but it does make it business as usual. I also didn't say she shouldve sent a letter to John Edwards at the white house. I said if all she was really doing was trying to collect a bill she would've contacted him also. I'm majoring in business and one of the first things they teach you is to address all corespondance to the correct person. That would be the person that owes the bill in this case that was the secret service. President Bush didn't stay in Medford. He stayed in Jacksonville.And I repeat, the president doesn't personally oversee the bill paying for his trips. There is a large staff to handle thoose sorts of things. Remember Billy Dale and "travelgate" ?

nightrider127
04-06-2005, 06:29 PM
Guess that old saying is true. If you want results, head straight for the top.

YankeeMary
04-06-2005, 07:29 PM
It was the secret service who are not "the presidents people" they protect many in our government and all the former presidents also. If you truely believe that government allways pays it's bills on time then explain to me how it takes over a week for my alimony to go from one state agency to another IN THE SAME BUILDING. That doesn't make it right but it does make it business as usual. I also didn't say she shouldve sent a letter to John Edwards at the white house. I said if all she was really doing was trying to collect a bill she would've contacted him also. I'm majoring in business and one of the first things they teach you is to address all corespondance to the correct person. That would be the person that owes the bill in this case that was the secret service. President Bush didn't stay in Medford. He stayed in Jacksonville.And I repeat, the president doesn't personally oversee the bill paying for his trips. There is a large staff to handle thoose sorts of things. Remember Billy Dale and "travelgate" ?
I wasn't saying you weren't correct in saying that the bill shouldn't have gone to the president. But obviously it worked.
And the article said it was for his campaign...not for old presidents, so its irrelavant whom all the secret service works for. They were talking about the one incident and that was it. NO ONE ELSE. I wasn't attacking Bush, I said regardless of which side it IS WRONG!!! If you owed the government money you better believe they won't send nice little letters politly asking for it nor would they wait 6 months.
The point is...if you owe it pay it.

cavemtmomma
04-06-2005, 08:37 PM
Obviously I haven't made myself clear. I do NOT think it's ok for the gov. to not pay it's bills on time and in full.(they have WAY too much of our money not to do so!) My objection was to the book keepers action. had she:
A) sent the letter as only representing herself, well then that's fine.
B) Sent an appropriate, professional letter( ie. Dear Mr. President, since your secret services stay at our establishment, the bill remains unpaid) Again fine.
BUT it was none of the above. She griped at the president about balancing the budget and made it seem that she represented the hotel. She did not, per her boss. that is where I have a problem.
If this hotel wants to engage in politics that's fine it's their right just as it is my right to not support such establishments that support positions opposed to mine.
PS though they said she didn't represent them my relatives will be staying at the inn in Jacksonville, it's cheaper, and nicer although much further from the airport.

nightrider127
04-07-2005, 03:41 AM
Thsnks for posting this, I just called the Red Lion and cancelled the reservations for our family reunion this summer. Dollars speak louder than words.

The above is what you posted. Sounded to me and some other people that you pulled your business because the place wanted to get paid.

You posted this too:

If this hotel wants to engage in politics that's fine it's their right just as it is my right to not support such establishments that support positions opposed to mine"

Now if this had been a member of the Spud ticket, a Democrat, an Independent or a Green party candidate would it be out of line to try and get what they owed?

People should not go around trying to cheat an innkeeper. I don't care which party they belong too. And yes, the democrat that owed money deserved a reminder too.

cavemtmomma
04-07-2005, 06:54 AM
See my post above yours. It answers the questions you posted. And again it's the secret service which owed the money; they are not affiliated with any party. The book keeper made this a political issue. She responded with her politics. I responded with mine. I hope this is clear.
PS now I see why it sounded the way people took it, I thought I had posted here often enough that my political stance was clear. Sorry I didn't make it more obvious. :D

schsa
04-07-2005, 08:02 AM
But again, if I wanted my bill paid, I would go to the person with the most power to see that it did get paid. If that means it goes to Bush, so be it. And the bill got paid because one of his minions saw this and probably was having a cow knowing that this was going on. And that person made sure that the Secret Service got it and the bill got paid.