Eugene Moore: standing out in Hawaii

The Chicago Tribune is drawing attention to Cook County officials going to Hawaii on the taxpayer's dime for the National Association of Counties conference.

The elected official who spent the most taxpayer money was Recorder of Deeds Eugene Moore. Four staff members attended along with Moore. His office's bill totaled $12,980.

Part of me says this is a cheap shot.

It is a national organization. Hawaii should get to host some meetings.

But I'm curious who went with Moore and what did they get out of the conference.

If they just went to Hawaii on a boondoggle then Moore should pay the money back.

How many states have "recorder of deeds" as an elected position? In places where the recorder of deeds function is served by a bureaucrat, did these counties bother to send the bureaucrats that handle these functions?

If there few peers for Moore to network with, what did he accomplish?

BTW, the Sun-Times (Abdon M. Pallasch) is more informative:

Cook County Recorder of Deeds Eugene Moore spent about $12,000 to fly himself and four staffers to the convention.

Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court Dorothy Brown attended for $2,800, and Cook County Clerk David Orr charged the county only $700 for his trip.

Memo to Gene Moore: don't gouge the county for ten times what other countywide elected officials cost.