No doubt it was not ElectriCities' intention to show how ridiculously insensitive, self-serving and out of touch elected officials can be. But by staging its annual meeting at the Marriott Resort & Spa at Grande Dunes in Myrtle Beach, S.C., last weekend, just weeks after raising its members' electricity rates by 14 percent, the group managed to do just that.

No fewer than 600 mayors, city councilors, city managers and electric chiefs from across eastern North Carolina eagerly slipped on their Topsiders and Capri pants, tossed their political instincts to the winds, and headed to the beach. Elizabeth City was well represented at the fun-in-the-sun event, sending nine officials, including the mayor and six city councilors.

ElectriCities, the administrative arm of an electricity-buying cooperative that includes 32 eastern North Carolina cities, including Elizabeth City, has defended staging its annual conference at a Myrtle Beach resort, saying it's the only way to guarantee good attendance. Apparently public officials can't be bothered to discuss topics like high electricity rates or energy conservation unless they also get to feel the sun on their backs, hear the rumble of the ocean and twist a little sand between

their toes.

ElectriCities has also pointed out that half the cost of the three-day conference — $175,000 — was paid for by corporate sponsors. Critics allege, however, that many of these sponsors may also be the same businesses that perform paid services for ElectriCities, so it's in their interest to foot half the cost of what amounts to an expensive weekend getaway for public officials.

Taxpayers of the cities sending officials fund the other half of ElectriCities' annual junket, paying approximately $500 per official in room costs and other expenses. Unlike the corporate sponsors, we're not sure how taxpayers' backs are being scratched by last weekend's ElectriCities beach bash. Of course, "clawed" actually may be a more apt description, since most will be paying higher electricity costs thanks to the rate hike ElectriCities approved in June.

Elizabeth City officials have defended sending such a large contingent to the beach bash, saying it was critical for the new mayor and new members of city council to talk with officials from other ElectriCities member cities about electric rates, energy-saving measures and other issues. Several officials, including Mayor Steve Atkinson and Councilor Jean Baker, the mayor pro tem, also talked about the "value" of "bringing back" information from the meeting to share with others. Of course, since nearly all of the council went — only councilors Anita Hummer and Tony Stimatz stayed at home — we wonder with whom they'll be sharing all this valuable information.

The bigger question is what is it, other than finding a justification for the co-op's existence after its disastrous energy debt is retired in another decade, did these public officials find to talk about all weekend? Did they commiserate over drinks and beach music about their cities' inability to escape an iron-clad energy agreement signed by their political forbearers more than 25 years ago? How about the 29 percent in rate hikes ElectriCities has passed — and that they've been unable to stop — over the past several years? Anybody forget their shag steps while they were discussing that?

Clearly, Elizabeth City could have gotten by if only two or three city officials attended this oversized party that could just as easily have been held in Raleigh, Rocky Mount or Fayetteville. In the public's view, the weekend getaway just exacerbates the disconnect between those in power and the cost of power.