City to Hire Firm to Lobby for Dollars

The city is not exactly sending Mr. Smith to Washington, but it has agreed to send the next best thing--a professional lobbyist.

Although two of its members were uncomfortable with the notion, the City Council voted 4 to 1 Monday to hire a Washington, D.C.-based firm that will try to secure federal dollars for city projects.

“Let’s be honest,” Councilman Donald L. Bone said. “It’s an election year, and the squeaky wheel gets the grease.”

Lobbyists with the Franklin Group, which will bill Buena Park $5,000 per month plus expenses, will meet with top-level city officials and council members Friday to plot strategy.

Their primary mission will be to represent the city before Congress and other federal agencies that could help fund public works projects such as train stations and freeway improvements, City Manager Kevin O’Rourke said.

Mayor Patsy Marshall, who voted against the contract, said she feared the city could spend up to $60,000 on what she termed “a crap shoot.”

Marshall said she was dubious about the city’s chances of winning any federal money with the likes of Los Angeles and San Diego pursuing the same funds with their own lobbyists. “It seems like Washington [officials] will give their money to large cities which have a lot of votes,” she said.

Marshall also said that expenses for the firm could easily get out of hand, but O’Rourke assured council members he will scrutinize invoices.

Supporters of the move said the risk was worth it because the government could help alleviate the projected $2-million budget deficit the city faces next fiscal year.