Lobbyist on Road to $800,000 O.C. Contract

The agencies running the Foothill, Eastern and San Joaquin Hills toll roads are poised this week to hand a new $800,000, three-year contract to lobbyist Jim McConnell to influence lawmakers in Washington.

The job is part of McConnell’s local lobbying dynasty, which includes representing Orange County government, the Orange County Transportation Authority and the Orange County Water District.

If his new deal is reauthorized Thursday by the Transportation Corridor Agencies--with a 122% increase over his current $360,000 three-year contract--McConnell’s combined annual income from county public entities will total nearly $700,000.

McConnell has handled legislative advocacy for the toll road agencies for a decade, including stumping on Capitol Hill for millions of dollars within the highly competitive appropriations bills passed each year by Congress.

Some critics question the wisdom of paying so much for government lobbyists, particularly because the contracts aren’t circulated for competitive bidding. Besides McConnell, the county and transportation authority also spend between $10,000 and $20,000 a month on former state Sen. Dennis Carpenter, a Sacramento lobbyist since 1981.

“I don’t think it’s right for our government to be spending our tax dollars to lobby other branches of the government for more of our tax dollars,” said Bill Ward, a county government watchdog and spokesman for Drivers for Highway Safety, which monitors transportation spending. “You really have to wonder if it’s worth it.”

McConnell’s contract also drew attention from the county’s lobbyist community, which is unable to bid on any the lucrative work.

McConnell said his salary does seem like a lot but, in the case of the toll-road contract, it includes the services of a second consultant, Bill Ferguson, who also lobbies in Washington for the Irvine Co. Consultant services, such as attorneys and environmental experts, also are paid through McConnell’s contract.

He said lobbying has meant billions of dollars for Orange County projects.

For example, McConnell was successful in working with local legislators to secure federal commitments for $1.5 billion to widen the Santa Ana Freeway and $1.3 billion for the Santa Ana River flood-control project.

“Sometimes people look at these [salaries] and say, ‘Oh my God, that’s a lot,’ ” said McConnell, who first was hired by the county in 1980. “But you have one person in Washington, D.C., who knows Orange County, Calif. You don’t have 27 people all billing the county at $350 an hour and reinventing the wheel.”

Of the toll road contract, the bulk of the cost--$710,000--will come from the agency responsible for building the Foothill and Eastern toll roads. That’s because both roads still are under construction and might be eligible for federal funds or lines of credit, TCA spokeswoman Michele Miller said.

The remaining $90,000 will come from the San Joaquin Hills toll road. The amount also will be reviewed annually by the agency boards.

Among McConnell’s other contracts, he receives $232,000 a year from the county, $123,000 a year from the transportation authority and about $45,000 annually from the water district.