Slog News & Arts

Line Out

Music & Nightlife

« Assignment : Hand Out Bottled ... | Rossi Addressing Evangelical A... »

Friday, November 16, 2007

Spokane is a Lovely Place to Visit…

posted by on November 16 at 13:25 PM

…and Richard Curtis visited as often as he could because, hey, he wasn’t paying for it. Washington state taxpayers were. From the Spokesman Review:

An awful lot is known about then-state-lawmaker Richard Curtis’ recent trysts with men at a Spokane Valley adult bookstore and downtown hotel last month. But here’s something you probably didn’t know:

You paid for the trip.

Curtis’ travel records, obtained Thursday by The Spokesman-Review through a public records request, show that Curtis’ three-day trip to Spokane cost taxpayers nearly $800.

They also show that during his three years as a legislator, Curtis was a prolific traveler, racking up more than $18,000 in expenses in 37 overnight trips around the state, as well as to New York City, San Francisco and Boston. Several of those overnight stays were in Spokane.

It was on those taxpayer-fincanced trips to Spokane that Curtis became a regular at the Hollywood Erotic Boutique, where the staff dubbed him “the cross dresser,” and where he would ultimately meet Cody Castagna, the admitted hustler and alleged extortionist. The $800 tab the state picked up for Curtis’ October visit to Spokane was a steal compared to an earlier visit.

The biggest bill of Curtis’ legislative career, in fact, stemmed from a June visit to the city. Over the course of six days, taxpayers picked up a $2,876 tab for Curtis, including a $332-a-night room at the Davenport Hotel, airfare, and $443 to rent a black Chrysler convertible. For five nights, his hotel bill alone—including several in-room movies and room-service meals—was $1,937. The state didn’t reimburse Curtis for the movies.

Jesus… with the state picking up every expense save Curtis’ dirty in-room movies and the $10 he paid to lurk in the Hollywood Erotic Boutique’s “theater,” you gotta wonder why Curtis didn’t just pay Castagna the $1000 he demanded—“for the bareback sex,” says Castagna; “or else I’ll out you,” says Curtis—and consider it one very expensive lesson learned. Castagna left with Curtis’ wallet after the cross-dressed, freshly-fucked legislator fell asleep. Curtis should have cancelled his credit cards, given Castagna the dough, and made a mental note to always lock his wallet in the in-room safe before bringing a hooker back to his room.

Of course, I’m sure Curtis is kicking himself now for not paying Castagna and calling the police—in fact, the police report indicates the Curtis began kicking himself while the police were still interviewing him.

RSS icon Comments

1

I was obviously very, very naive to think you were done with this...

Posted by Amelia | November 16, 2007 1:37 PM
2

i'm laughing because its funny AND maddening. that fucker. or what was the word you used? Autogynephile.. yeah that autogynephile pisses me off.

Posted by Jake Salvador | November 16, 2007 1:40 PM
3

Paying for our elected's exorbitant travel habits is a perk of public office I never understood. Whether it's fucking dudes in Spokane, or my city council member's trips to Europe ("there's a bridge in Tuscany we'd like to see for, eh, research purposes... no, wait, to FOSTER RELATIONS!"), it all smells like bullshit to me.

Posted by Dougsf | November 16, 2007 1:44 PM
4

Can we sue to get it back?

I say we charge it to Rossi's "trust fund".

Posted by Will in Seattle | November 16, 2007 2:04 PM
5

It could have been worse.

He could have been a Port of Seattle Commissioner.

Check out their travel expenses sometime.

Posted by NapoleonXIV | November 16, 2007 2:24 PM
6

i was wondering how long it would take you to post this...

Posted by gillsans | November 16, 2007 2:46 PM
7

Please don't ever, ever be done with this case. As long as there are more lurid details to be unearthed, I wanna know!

Posted by Joe Ellen | November 16, 2007 3:58 PM
8

Geez. Does anyone know where Curtis' travel expenses rank compared to his colleagues?

When I worked for the state, the rules for travel were so strict, I really had to think twice about whether even going to Wenatchee, for the afternoon, was a good idea.

I am more shocked that Richard Curtis, proponent of smaller government, indulged on the taxpayer's dime, than his autogynephile tendencies.

Posted by ahava | November 16, 2007 11:06 PM

Comments Closed

In order to combat spam, we are no longer accepting comments on this post (or any post more than 14 days old).