In my chapter on local lobbying, I argue that even quarterly
disclosure of lobbying activities is not sufficiently timely and
that lobbyists' disclosures should be supplemented by the
disclosures of high-level officials. According to an
article in Sunday's San...
Seattle's public campaign financing Initiative
I-122 passed easily on Tuesday. It should prove to be an
excellent experiment in campaign finance vouchers, an idea that has
been batted about at the federal level, as well.
Here's how it works. Each election cycle (two years) the city's
ethics commission will mail four $25 vouchers to each registered
voter, to be given, if they choose, to any...
Considering that it reflects a typical approach to lobbying, it is
valuable to look at the language of a resolution to improve
Austin's lobbying oversight program (attached; see below). It is
also valuable to consider the opposition to this resolution by a
coalition of local architects, engineers, and contractors, according
to an
article in the Austin Monitor this week. ...
Rarely do agencies' own lobbyists get caught by their agency breaking
agency rules on communications. This is what just happened in Houston.
According to an
article last night on Houston's Channel 13 website, an
individual who, under a contract, lobbies state and federal
officials for the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, TX (METRO) disclosed that he had
spoken with a judge...
Campaign Vendors Lobbying Their Candidates
According to an
article in the Capital (of DE) Gazette, an assistant
state's attorney for Anne Arundel County, whose political firm was
paid $200,000 by the successful candidate for county executive, is
also a lobbyist for a company involved in a stormwater pilot program
for the county. Since the state's attorney...
Lobbyist Extortion
According to an
article yesterday on Columbus, Ohio's NBC 4 website, a
lobbyist for a red-light camera company pleaded guilty to charges
that he solicited campaign contributions for elected city officials
from his client by creating the impression that the money was needed
to bribe the city officials. The lobbyist had helped the company win
the city contract...