Mayor Megan Barry says tax dollars did not support affair, but city paid for officer's hotel on extra days

Mayor Megan Barry said she did not use taxpayer money to support an affair with the head of her security detail.

But she acknowledged staying an additional four nights beyond scheduled visits in three cities. The city paid for Sgt. Robert Forrest's separate hotel on those nights, according to a new statement released Monday afternoon.

"We believe that at no time did Mayor Barry or Sgt. Forrest ever attempt to use taxpayer dollars to support their extramarital affair," Barry spokesman Sean Braisted said in a lengthy statement issued after days of inquiries about Barry's travel from The Tennessean and other media.

More: Read the full statement: Mayor Megan Barry's office releases details on travel

Barry, a Democrat, and Forrest began their affair some time in the spring of 2016, several months after Barry was elected mayor, Barry has said. She would not say when the affair ended, but said last week it is now over.

In the last year, Barry and Forrest went together, without any other city employees, on nine trips around the country and the globe, according to travel, expenditure and scheduling records obtained by The Tennessean. That included trips to San Francisco, Kansas City and Athens, Greece.

On at least two of these trips, Barry and Forrest stayed beyond the time needed to attend the conferences upon which their travel was based.

"On those four nights without business, Sgt. Forrest had a hotel room paid for by Metro because he needed to be available on a following day for travel," Braisted said in the statement.

"While Mayor Barry paid for her own rooms, or stayed with family, Sgt. Forrest’s rooms were a legitimate business expense because of his need to help facilitate travel for the Mayor on her return home."

Barry previously said all of those trips were business-related conferences or meetings.

“There were a handful of occasions when Mayor Barry stayed an extra day or two in a city where she traveled. That isn’t unusual; in fact, our tourism industry thrives on people who spend an extra day or two outside of a conference to experience a new city," Braisted said.

Metro Council will vote on a proposal at its meeting on Tuesday for whether to launch an inquiry into the overtime and travel expenses. A Tennessee Bureau of Investigation inquiry is already underway.

Athens, San Francisco and Kansas City

In September, Barry and Forrest spent a weekend in Athens, Greece when the mayor had no meetings or events on her calendar. Earlier that week, Barry attended two separate conferences. Her scheduled included detailed listings of meetings during those days, but not on the weekend.

Braisted said one of the conferences ended Saturday, although he acknowledges the mayor had no events scheduled that day. While the city paid for Forrest's room on Sunday, the mayor paid for her own hotel room on the extra night, Braisted said.

Barry and Forrest also traveled to San Francisco in May. The pair arrived two days early, spending Memorial Day on the West Coast when the mayor had nothing listed on her calendar.

"She traveled early so that she wouldn’t have to travel on Memorial Day and would have time to prepare in advance for the conference," Braisted said. "She paid for her own hotel room in San Francisco for the extra night."

Barry traveled to Kansas City from Aug. 31 until Sept. 3, with Forrest providing security and no other mayoral staff on the trip. The purpose of her visit, according to records provided by the mayor’s office and Barry’s calendar, was to tour Children’s Mercy Park, meet with the Kansas City mayor and tour the city’s transit plan.

According to Braisted, Barry extended her trip to visit her mother, who lives in Kansas, and attend a memorial service for her son Max Barry, who died weeks earlier.

“That flight was paid for out of personal funds,” Braisted said of the Kansas City flight.

Forrest’s trip cost $1,174.90, which included flight, hotel, rental car, parking and gas expenses.

Braisted said that on the four nights where Barry extended her stay, Forrest "did not record on-duty hours that would have resulted in pay or overtime."

According to additional travel records, Forrest’s trips between January 2017 and October 2017 cost taxpayers a total of $21,712. Barry’s travel expenses from Jan. 1, 2017 to this year totaled $11,382 in public funds.

Barry's expenses are less than Forrest's because some conferences covered her travel and lodging costs.

Barry traveled frequently without security early in term

From when she took office in September 2015 through December 2016, Barry traveled with only Forrest and no other city employees on one occasion – June 30 and July 1 to Chattanooga, according to new records provided Monday by the mayor's office.

There were nine trips during that period when Barry traveled without any security protection.

In 2017, there were nine trips during which Barry traveled only with Forrest, who was her security detail.

“You will see a security detail traveled sporadically with Mayor Barry until mid-to-late 2016,” Braisted said, explaining the apparent discrepancy in policy regarding when security travels with her.

“This was based on the recommendations of the police department that Mayor Barry have police detail on all official business trips, increases in terrorist attacks and mass shootings both domestic and international, and because we had an opportunity to learn what worked best in terms of logistics for travel,” Braisted said.

Last week while acknowledging the affair, Barry stressed it was the recommendation of the police to have constant security.

"When I came into office, the chief said that you are always the mayor and you should be secured appropriately," Barry said.

Barry use of security differs from her predecessors. Both former Mayors Karl Dean and Bill Purcell said they did not travel with security for trips that required a flight. An informal survey of other mayors from large U.S. cities, some of whom were also women, found travel security policies varied.

Braisted said the mayor’s office has not identified any days in 2015 or 2016 when she stayed more than necessary in her official duties.

Responding to Barry’s most recent statements about the travel, Metro Councilman John Cooper said, “the best answers to these questions will come from an independent party. That is the assurance the public needs.”