Taxpayers pay for golf club membership

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) - Several Hampton Roads cities pay their economic director to have memberships at private golf and country clubs, but there is a debate about it in Virginia Beach.

The Cavalier Golf and Yacht Club is where the wealthy go to play golf in Virginia Beach, and it's also where Warren Harris, the city's economic development director plays using taxpayer dollars.

"I think it's a waste of taxpayer funds," Councilman Bill DeSteph said.

However, Mayor Will Sessoms defends the city's spending on Harris' golf club membership. "Now what does the economic development director do? They entertain businesses from across the world and across the country," said Sessoms.

Sessoms said if you want to attract big money to your city, you show them to the golf course, and the memberships are a tool to do that.

Norfolk and Chesapeake also have city memberships to private clubs for the same purpose.

"If they jump off a bridge, should we do that? No. And oh, by the way, we have TPC and four other public golf courses with private rooms in the back that we could use for the same thing," said DeSteph.

Sessoms didn't argue that point. Instead, he pointed to Harris' record of getting things done. Last year, the Virginia Beach Department of Economic Development brought in $184 million as a result of Harris' efforts, and his department attracted 2,500 new jobs.

"The comment that's being made with the current economic times, it's a way to stir something up, but is it the right thing to do? I don't believe so," said Sessoms.

Councilman DeSteph is a member of three private clubs where he admitted he networks and does business, but he pointed out that he pays that out of his own pocket.

This topic will be discussed again at a future city council meeting.