CHICAGO-The NCUA board booked more travel expenses for Chicago than any other U.S. city in the last four years.
Coming in at $43,860.73, the Windy City beat out Washington ($19,662.36), Orlando ($18,647.56), San Francisco ($10,558.25), and Las Vegas ($10,510.14), which were the top five destinations for NCUA board travel. Las Vegas, a frequent location for credit union meetings, made the list due to $8,031.22 spent by former NCUA Board Member Gigi Hyland from 2009 through 2011.
Chicago ranks first in travel expenses for the NCUA board for one reason: the $34,323.88 spent by Board Member Michael Fryzel. After declining in 2009, Fryzel's Chicago-related expenses have increased the last two years: $6,807.81 in 2009, $6,422.19 in 2010, $12,537.74 in 2011, and $8,556.14 through the early days of August 2012, putting him on pace to surpass his 2011 expenses.
Contributing to those totals, according to NCUA board travel records released to Credit Union Journal via a Freedom of Information Act request, is the fact Fryzel lives in Chicago and flies to board meetings that are generally held monthly. Prior to being named to the NCUA board, Fryzel was Illinois' state regulator.
Chairman Debbie Matz lives in the Alexandria area, as did Hyland while she served on the NCUA board.
"When I travel to D.C., it's not just for a board meeting," said Fryzel. "It's also for meetings being held throughout the agency, meeting with staff, going to various briefings on the issues at hand. I'll often, too, meet with representatives from NAFCU or CUNA."
Meetings With State Regulator, Others
Fryzel also said that travel from Chicago to destinations across the U.S. can be less expensive than flying out of Washington.
"And when I am here in Chicago, I spend a great deal of my time meeting with business and government leaders. I have an excellent relationship with this state's regulator and I meet with them occasionally. When I am home I also try to meet with someone from this state's league or with individual credit unions. I think that part of my job is very important."
Based on federal travel guidelines, Fryzel can claim travel expenses in his hometown, including lodging. However, U.S. Office of Personnel Management's travel rules and NCUA's Travel Policy state that any expense given travel status inside an NCUA employee's "official duty station" is not allowed unless a waiver is granted, which is handled by NCUA's Office of the Executive Director. Duty station is defined as being a 40-mile radius from the employee's main office, which in Fryzel's case is Alexandria, Va.
