Savannah mayor used St. Pat’s visit to lobby Pence on harbour

SAVANNAH, Ga. – The mayor of Savannah says he used Vice-President Mike Pence’s weekend visit for St. Patrick’s Day to lobby for federal funding to deepen the city’s busy shipping channel.

Mayor Eddie DeLoach told a news conference Sunday that Pence chose to attend Savannah’s parade Saturday because he was due for a trip to the South.

DeLoach said it was a chance to remind Pence the $973 million Savannah harbour expansion to make room for bigger ships is only halfway done “and tell them we needed the funding to keep the harbour deepening going.”

President Donald Trump’s latest budget seeks $49 million for the project. Georgia officials say it needs $100 million to avoid delays.

DeLoach said Pence got the message, adding: “If he stood still, he knew about the harbour.”