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Charge It!

Margie Fernandes dines with colleagues on council meeting breaks. Margie Fernandes Local Dining: $1,153.02 (Ranking: 5th) Travel: $913.77 (Ranking: 10th) The current vice mayor and 1998 mayoral prospect stayed homebound for most of the study period, but while at home she ate well, often with the Hammer Girls at posh eateries between council meetings. Fernandes calls meal costs incurred while doing city business a legitimate expense. "I suppose people that are wealthy can fund the expenses of holding office," she sniffs. "I happen to think middle-class people like me ought to be able to sit on the City Council without depleting family resources." Fernandes, like other councilmembers, makes $56,000 a year. Private middle-class citizens, however, don't have access to money in a "friends" account funded by campaign contributors that can pay for their business meals. [ Metro | Metroactive Central | Archives ]