City Credit Card Records Reveal Extensive Travel

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Grand Rapids City Manager Mark Washington used the city credit card to spend $21,102 on travel across 73 transactions in 2024, according to records obtained by Michigan Capitol Confidential through a public records request.

The spending included flights, hotels, and other expenses as Washington traveled to Belgium, Texas, California, Maryland, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C. during the year.

Washington stayed at Duke's Palace, a five-star hotel in Belgium, during a May 2024 trip to attend the International City/County Management Association's Global Exchange conference. The Belgian trip alone cost $2,888 for the city.

"The exchange focused on pedestrian and transit solutions, urban innovation, and emerging technologies, including participation in a European AI summit," according to a city spokesman.

ICMA, which organized the conference, covered Washington's registration fees. The conference itinerary included meetings with officials from Bruges and other Belgian municipalities.

City Responds to Spending Questions

Steve Guitar, a Grand Rapids spokesman, told Michigan Capitol Confidential that the information Washington learned will help the city create policies involving mobility, technology, and urban development.

"Participation in ICMA exchanges strengthens global partnerships that inform local policy and service improvements," Guitar said. "ICMA set the itinerary and lodging for the delegation, in which Mr. Washington represented Grand Rapids and the Midwest region."

The spokesman added that in accordance with ICMA's program guidelines, participants are responsible for their own travel, lodging, and related expenses under their employer's policies.

"Total cost to the City for the Belgium exchange was $2,888," Guitar said. "Average lodging cost per night was $170, which is comparable to the cost of mid-range business hotels in the U.S."

The 8,000-mile round trip to Belgium benefited the city, a Grand Rapids spokesman told Michigan Capitol Confidential.

Comptroller Previously Raised Concerns About Spending

The revelation comes at a time of heightened scrutiny over city spending. In December 2025, Grand Rapids Comptroller Max Frantz filed a lawsuit against the city, alleging that officials had stripped him of 13 employees, many of his duties, and $1.3 million in funding.

Shortly after the comptroller flagged some of Washington's spending as irregular in 2024, Frantz alleged in the lawsuit that the city had improperly restructured his office without voter approval.

In November 2025, Frantz sent a letter to city auditors alleging that the city manager now had "unilateral administrative control" over financial operations in violation of charter requirements.

The comptroller's lawsuit claims the transfer of 13 of his 16 employees from his office violates the city charter and undermines the independence of his elected position.

Travel Destinations Included Major Cities

Beyond Belgium, Washington used the city credit card to spend money on travel to:

• Austin, Houston, and Fort Worth, Texas
• Indian Wells, California
• Baltimore, Maryland
• Mackinac Island
• Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• New Jersey
• Washington, D.C.

Washington also paid fees to the Economic Club of Grand Rapids and the Michigan Municipal League, along with parking and rental car fees, according to 12 months of credit card records.

Grand Rapids is the second-largest city in Michigan, and the city operates one of the largest municipal budgets in the state.

Comptroller Lawsuit Still Pending

Michigan Capitol Confidential published the city manager's travel expenses and the related context about the comptroller's lawsuit. The court has denied an early motion in the comptroller's lawsuit, and the case remains pending.

Michigan Capitol Confidential is a nonprofit news service produced by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. The publication obtained the records through a public records request and published them with context about the ongoing dispute between the comptroller and city leadership.

The story highlights ongoing questions about municipal spending oversight and the balance between administrative authority and fiscal accountability in Grand Rapids government.