DC resident slams Mayor Bowser for jetting off on taxpayers' dime: 'Frustrating and infuriating'
Washington, D.C. resident Adam Kelinsky, who closed his restaurant in 2023, weighs in on Mayor Muriel Bowser's lavish trips covered by taxpayers.
Washington, D.C., residents are voicing their frustration with Mayor Muriel Bowser as she heads to Las Vegas on taxpayers’ dime weeks after a lavish trip to the Masters Tournament.
"When you think about how neglectful she's been to D.C. and the D.C. residents – she hasn't tackled any of the stuff she set out to do – and the fact that she's going off on these wonderful boondoggles, spending taxpayer dollars to go on these lavish trips with folks that clearly haven't delivered for us, is frustrating. It's infuriating," D.C. resident Alex Kelinsky told "Fox & Friends First," Monday.
"What do you do when you don't have a leader that cares about you anymore?"
DC MAYOR BOWSER JETS OFF FOR LAS VEGAS WEEKEND ‘MISSION’ AFTER RITZY MASTERS TRIP ON TAXPAYERS' DIME
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 15: Washington Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Contee III (R), joined by Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser (L) and Charlie Patterson, Special Agent in Charge (SAC) of the Washington Field Division for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), speaks at a press conference on the shootings of homeless individuals in Washington, DC and New York City on March 15, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Bowser jetted off to the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) at Wynn Las Vegas over the weekend, along with 14 other elected officials and staff members.
The trip comes after the Democratic mayor faced scrutiny over transparency about her trip to the Master's Tournament in Augusta, Georgia last month.
The mayor said the goal of both trips was economic development and investment, but Kelinsky claimed local business owners have long been overlooked by the administration.
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The former D.C. restaurant owner told co-host Carley Shimkus he was forced to close in 2023 due to persistent crime.
"We had over five break-ins in a five-month period, and it just became untenable to operate," Kelinsky said, adding the city offered no support and left his business completely abandoned.
"At some point we said, ‘why are we here?’ Why are we spending all this money to stay in a very expensive area when we can move out into Virginia or Maryland, do significantly better and not face the same crime and disrespect, frankly, from the mayor, who is just all platitudes and rhetoric."
The Metropolitan Police Department reported increases in D.C. crime across the board in 2023, with robberies up 67% and overall violent crime up 39%.
In response to growing concerns from local business leaders, the city council passed the Secure D.C. Omnibus Amendment Act of 2024, which was signed into law by Mayor Bowser on March 11. The bill reportedly includes more than 100 proposals to fight crime.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser speaks at a press conference after testifying for hours before the DC City Council outlining the Fiscal Year 2025 Budget in Washington, D.C., on April 03, 2024. (Craig Hudson for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Kelinsky said the key to bringing back businesses is to be tough on crime.
"We need to actually go after the culprits that are doing these things. We need to lock them up and we need to hold them," he said. "We need tactical policing of the streets, hard on crime, focused on the key issues that are really affecting us all every day."
Kelinsky argued the city needs the right leadership in order to be successful.
"[Mayor Bowser] is notorious for these lavish trips going all over the place, spending dollars that are not hers," he said. "She's allegedly bringing back businesses to D.C.. Well, what about the businesses in D.C.? Let's focus on those that have stood by you all these years that you've abandoned."
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Fox News' Kristine Parks and Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.