Small-town mayors have their share of skeptics and detractors.

Richard Hildreth is no different.

Pacific’s hands-on, pragmatic mayor frequently confronts such foes.

“It’s a part of what I do,” Hildreth said. “We have some unfinished tasks here in Pacific. Those are the reasons why I’m running for a third term (in November).

“We need to get back to building our (budget) reserves up … and work with small businesses. We also need to work on our roads and complete our parks,” said Hildreth, an electrician by trade and a 19-year resident of Pacific.

Still, opponents suggest, Hildreth hasn’t done enough. They question his role with the City, especially his association with emergency management and the frequent training and cost it demands. Critics claim the mayor is more focused on emergency management than issues directly affecting their neighborhoods.

“Have I spent a lot of time in emergency management? I have, but I spend a lot of my own time,” Hildreth insisted.

Hildreth (pictured) – a national leader in prescribing emergency preparedness plans for other cities, institutions and leaders to follow – was appointed by Gov. Chris Gregoire to serve on the Washington State Emergency Management Council. He has written training programs for elected officials for the master trainer program at FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute. He remains steadfast and passionate about emergency management and Homeland Security training.

“I take preparedness very seriously, and I think our city needs to take itself very seriously,” Hildreth said, “and under my leadership, it will.”

Nonetheless, opponents and concerned members of the City Council claim Hildreth’s training is for personal gain, not for public benefit.

They also question its travel and cost.

Hildreth has traveled to Maryland, Alabama, Texas and most recently, Monterey, Calif., for the Executive Leaders Program at the Center for Homeland Defense and Security.

Hildreth says his emergency management training to date has cost about $12,000, funded through donations and federal reimbursements.

Opponents, including write-in mayoral candidate Cy Sun, allege that Hildreth used a City credit card for personal travel and other expenses.

Hildreth denies using the card for personal expenses, but only for travel to emergency training. He claims the attacks are politically motivated.

Such a stir led to an independent investigation into the mayor’s credit card use and his travel. Hildreth and City Council President John Jones asked Canfield and Associates – the City’s insurance company – to hire an investigator, P.J. De Benedetti.

The personnel consultant’s audit reviewed the mayor’s travel expenses, donations and reimbursements for the years 2006-2011.

The recently released final report found the mayor in compliance with the City’s travel policy and “that more likely than not, Mayor Hildreth routinely reimbursed the City any money that he received as a reimbursement from FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) for trainings.”

The investigation found one instance where Hildreth did not reimburse City money he received from FEMA. The mayor used the City credit card to purchase an airline ticket for his wife, Susan, who accompanied him for a conference at New Orleans in 2007. The review of the Audit Data Report also discovered the “while (Hildreth) technically did violate the credit card policy, the City has already been fully reimbursed for this personal use.”

Furthermore, the report said “that more likely than not, the emergency training Mayor Hildreth participated in at the expense of the City was of public benefit.”

Federal Law requires local governments to prepare for disaster.

“The benefit of what our City has received by my training versus what it would cost to have contractors or even City staff take this training is overwhelming,” Hildreth explained. “Consultants would have charged our City tens of thousands of dollars. Even sending staff to take the same training would not be cost effective as we would still pay back wages as well as suffer the loss of production for that time (and most likely overtime to cover for that person).

“I take time off of my job as a union electrician and have donated myself to fund some of the travel cost, so as not to charge the travel fund.”

What the investigation did disclose was a confusing procedure of monitoring and processing City credit card use and travel planning.

According to the report, “It would appear that the current system for reimbursement to the City from FEMA through a third party, the mayor, is problematic. The City is strongly encouraged to adopt a procedure through which either: any City expenditure is reimbursed directly to the City from the dispersing party or through which the City employee incurs the expense and is directly reimbursed by the dispersing party. This process would simplify the accounting process for the City.”

The report “strongly recommended that the City adopt a credit card ordinance and procedures that are clear and precise.”

The City Council is considering to revise its travel ordinances and procedures, Hildreth said.