The Radisson Hotel is across the James River – just 30 minutes or so – from downtown Suffolk.

Nonetheless, several members of the Suffolk City Council, which ends its three-day retreat at the hotel in historic Hampton, opted to stay overnight. Mayor E. Dana Dickens III and council members Bobby Ralph and Charles Brown spent Thursday and Friday night.

Also, City Manager Myles E. Standish and Assistant City Manager Cindy Rohlf also stayed the night.

Vice Mayor Leroy Bennett and council members Linda Johnson, Curtis Milteer and Calvin Jones commuted.

It isn’t known whether the other two assistant city managers, Steve Herbert and Jim Vacalis, or other staff members stayed overnight.

The city paid the government rate of $59 per night.

Brown and Dickens both believe staying has benefits for council.

&uot;It’s a matter of relationships with your fellow council members,&uot; said Dickens. &uot;It’s an opportunity for us to inner-relate with each other in a non-council environment.&uot;

Brown agreed.

&uot;It’s all about bonding.&uot;

During the past two days, council members have been updated of capital projects related to their five priorities: Economic Development, Education, Quality of Life, Downtown and Neighborhood Revitalization, and Smart Growth Management.

The group also took a couple of afternoon &uot;field trips&uot; to see projects in Hampton and Newport News: Oyster Point and Port Warwick in Newport News and a walking tour of Phoebus.