Let's have a sense of proportion.

Baffled Observer has left a new comment on your post "Volunteer Fire Brigades":

"The moral of the story is, firefighters are still doing many of the things they always did. And they are respected for it. But they just can't have it all."

And as it is for the firefighters, so it is for Mayors and Town Councillors. Wining and dining may be the accepted and expected method of sealing deals and luring business prospects, but alcohol consumption does not play any meaningful or necessary role in building positive municipal relationships (in fact, it's more of a detriment), and - especially in a diminished economy - taxpayers should not be expected to foot the bill for booze.


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$56 over a period of twelve months  amounts to $4.60 a month. Not much wining  and dining  is being expensed at that rate.
It  hardly warrants  creating scandal within the community by an elected representative who claims to be on the side of the angels in terms of righteous conduct  and pure ethics.
The same Councillor who  approved more than half a million dollars  be  handed over "during a 
period  of  diminished economy" to people who have not been elected, are not accountable, known to the community and make decisions behind closed doors.