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The benefits of a lobbyist registry?
11 April 2008
[indent]Imagine this scenario: I was in the local grocery store with Susan, picking over the collection of organic vine-ripened tomatoes, earnestly searching for the best couple of them. A man recognized me as a member of council and approached me, smiling, hand extended.
"Hi, Councillor Chadwick," he says. We shake. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Okay," I replied and passed the two best tomatoes to Susan who headed off in search of some fresh Ontario asparagus. "How can I help you?"
"Well, I'm with the local United Way and I wanted to ask..."
"Wait a second," I interrupted, holding my hand up. "Are you going to lobby me?"
"Uh, I suppose. I'm not sure. I just wanted to..."
"Are you registered?"
"What do you mean? We're a registered charity..."
"No, I mean are you a registered lobbyist?" I shuffled sideways to the avocado bin and started to gently poke them. My new companion followed behind.
"I... I don't know. I'm not. But we might be. But I just wanted to ask..."
"Not good enough. I need to know if you - not just your charity or corporation - is registered. Personally. You have to be registered before you can lobby me. Council passed a bylaw. I can't talk to any unregistered lobbyists." I picked a particularly nice avocado and handed it to Susan who passed by on her way to the potatoes.
"But I'm a board member. I'm just a volunteer. Why do I need to register with anyone?"
"Because Council wanted to make sure no one at the table was unduly pressured by some unscrupulous persons looking to gain advantage for their cause through insidious activity behind the scenes. Everyone who wants to approach council on behalf of anyone or anything else, no matter how innocent it may outwardly appear, has to first register at town hall as a lobbyist. So you'll have to start there before we can talk."
"Town hall's already closed. It's after five. All I wanted to say..."
My hand flashed up again like an angry policeman at a crosswalk. "Sorry. I can't help it. You can't talk to me unless you register. Those are the rules."
"Even to make a simple request?"
"Even the simplest request can disguise a nefarious plot to influence me and thus sway the course of the municipality from its divinely appointed direction. Or so I'm told. As such, I have to protect myself from having my integrity questioned." Susan waved a bunch of broccoli at me from across the produce section. I nodded as she head towards the cooler area where the tofu awaited. I eyed the zucchini with a critical eye.
"How will my signing a registry protect your integrity?"
"See those people over there? The couple trying to hide behind the lettuce?" I pointed to an elderly couple pretending to select their vegetables from a bin, but glancing up at to glare at us every now and then. He nodded a little unsurely. "I suspect they're watching us. They're part of a citizens' coalition trying to make sure we councillors obey the rules, and that we are free from outside influence. The only way they can be sure I am untainted by the stain of special interest pressures is by making sure I don't speak to any lobbyist outside the council table."
"But how would they know who I am? I could be a friend or a business associate."
"See the book the gentleman has tucked under his arm? That's the Lobbyist Registry. They can recognize lobbyists from the photos that accompany each entry. It's kind of like birding. Except of course the birds don't have to register themselves."
"Wouldn't a citizens' coalition itself be a special interest?"
"Yes, of course, and they have to register themselves before they can talk to anyone on council. But of course, only their director is registered, not each member. So they can't talk to me themselves, even about talking to you, because that would be influence peddling. It's a bit confusing, I'll admit. I personally think many of them do it just to get their pictures in the book. They're very flattering pictures. Much better than your passport or driver's licence."
He looked exasperated. "Okay, but what happens if you talk to me and I'm not registered?"
"Well... hmmm. Nothing really. I mean there's no penalty for talking to an unregistered lobbyist. Aside from being pilloried in the citizens' coalition newsletter, of course. And being chastised in public at the table. It's just expected that we won't. It's an honour system. Like the Code of Conduct. Yes, yes, I know that was broken in the first month we took office with email-gate, and has been in tatters ever since. But it's the principle that counts, even if the actualization leaves something to be desired."
"And what's the benefit to me for registering?"
"Aside from being identified in the Official Collingwood Guide to Lobbyists and getting a flattering photograph of yourself you can show friends and relatives? Nothing really. In fact, it's probably a detriment because you could become the target of scorn and derision from some righteously indignant members of council, and maybe even from some citizens' groups. On the other hand, it could garner some free publicity, so it may not be all bad."
"Look, all I wanted to say was we've got a fundraising dinner coming up. I wanted to know if you could mention it at council next week. Is that lobbying?"
"I can't be sure. Possibly. I think we'd better err on the side of caution and say yes. And if that's the case, you can't really tell me what you just told me, in case it gets misinterpreted. So why don't we forget the whole thing and get you registered in the book properly so we can talk in future."
His shoulders slumped. "How long will that take?"
"A few weeks, maybe a month. Usually no more than two. It's bureaucracy after all. Can't move faster than a glacier. Process must be followed, regardless of the pace at which it moves."
"But the dinner's in two weeks. We can't wait that long."
"Ah," I muttered sympathetically and put my arm over his shoulder. "But what is your small event when the greater issue of democracy is at stake? Man, this is about yours and everyone's freedom. Our parents fought to protect that right. Many brave lives were lost to preserve this hallowed state. We cannot turn our back on their valiant efforts so glibly! The protection of our municipality from potentially unscrupulous lobbyists must be upheld. There's always next year."
"But, but..."
"Shh. No more. We're still under observation. Any more and I'll probably be written up the the coalition's newsletter. I might even get an email from the mayor. Best we part before they become suspicious."
I left him looking disconsolately at the radishes while I sidestepped over to the onions and began an intense evaluation of the Vidalia bin.[/indent]
"Hi, Councillor Chadwick," he says. We shake. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Okay," I replied and passed the two best tomatoes to Susan who headed off in search of some fresh Ontario asparagus. "How can I help you?"
"Well, I'm with the local United Way and I wanted to ask..."
"Wait a second," I interrupted, holding my hand up. "Are you going to lobby me?"
"Uh, I suppose. I'm not sure. I just wanted to..."
"Are you registered?"
"What do you mean? We're a registered charity..."
"No, I mean are you a registered lobbyist?" I shuffled sideways to the avocado bin and started to gently poke them. My new companion followed behind.
"I... I don't know. I'm not. But we might be. But I just wanted to ask..."
"Not good enough. I need to know if you - not just your charity or corporation - is registered. Personally. You have to be registered before you can lobby me. Council passed a bylaw. I can't talk to any unregistered lobbyists." I picked a particularly nice avocado and handed it to Susan who passed by on her way to the potatoes.
"But I'm a board member. I'm just a volunteer. Why do I need to register with anyone?"
"Because Council wanted to make sure no one at the table was unduly pressured by some unscrupulous persons looking to gain advantage for their cause through insidious activity behind the scenes. Everyone who wants to approach council on behalf of anyone or anything else, no matter how innocent it may outwardly appear, has to first register at town hall as a lobbyist. So you'll have to start there before we can talk."
"Town hall's already closed. It's after five. All I wanted to say..."
My hand flashed up again like an angry policeman at a crosswalk. "Sorry. I can't help it. You can't talk to me unless you register. Those are the rules."
"Even to make a simple request?"
"Even the simplest request can disguise a nefarious plot to influence me and thus sway the course of the municipality from its divinely appointed direction. Or so I'm told. As such, I have to protect myself from having my integrity questioned." Susan waved a bunch of broccoli at me from across the produce section. I nodded as she head towards the cooler area where the tofu awaited. I eyed the zucchini with a critical eye.
"How will my signing a registry protect your integrity?"
"See those people over there? The couple trying to hide behind the lettuce?" I pointed to an elderly couple pretending to select their vegetables from a bin, but glancing up at to glare at us every now and then. He nodded a little unsurely. "I suspect they're watching us. They're part of a citizens' coalition trying to make sure we councillors obey the rules, and that we are free from outside influence. The only way they can be sure I am untainted by the stain of special interest pressures is by making sure I don't speak to any lobbyist outside the council table."
"But how would they know who I am? I could be a friend or a business associate."
"See the book the gentleman has tucked under his arm? That's the Lobbyist Registry. They can recognize lobbyists from the photos that accompany each entry. It's kind of like birding. Except of course the birds don't have to register themselves."
"Wouldn't a citizens' coalition itself be a special interest?"
"Yes, of course, and they have to register themselves before they can talk to anyone on council. But of course, only their director is registered, not each member. So they can't talk to me themselves, even about talking to you, because that would be influence peddling. It's a bit confusing, I'll admit. I personally think many of them do it just to get their pictures in the book. They're very flattering pictures. Much better than your passport or driver's licence."
He looked exasperated. "Okay, but what happens if you talk to me and I'm not registered?"
"Well... hmmm. Nothing really. I mean there's no penalty for talking to an unregistered lobbyist. Aside from being pilloried in the citizens' coalition newsletter, of course. And being chastised in public at the table. It's just expected that we won't. It's an honour system. Like the Code of Conduct. Yes, yes, I know that was broken in the first month we took office with email-gate, and has been in tatters ever since. But it's the principle that counts, even if the actualization leaves something to be desired."
"And what's the benefit to me for registering?"
"Aside from being identified in the Official Collingwood Guide to Lobbyists and getting a flattering photograph of yourself you can show friends and relatives? Nothing really. In fact, it's probably a detriment because you could become the target of scorn and derision from some righteously indignant members of council, and maybe even from some citizens' groups. On the other hand, it could garner some free publicity, so it may not be all bad."
"Look, all I wanted to say was we've got a fundraising dinner coming up. I wanted to know if you could mention it at council next week. Is that lobbying?"
"I can't be sure. Possibly. I think we'd better err on the side of caution and say yes. And if that's the case, you can't really tell me what you just told me, in case it gets misinterpreted. So why don't we forget the whole thing and get you registered in the book properly so we can talk in future."
His shoulders slumped. "How long will that take?"
"A few weeks, maybe a month. Usually no more than two. It's bureaucracy after all. Can't move faster than a glacier. Process must be followed, regardless of the pace at which it moves."
"But the dinner's in two weeks. We can't wait that long."
"Ah," I muttered sympathetically and put my arm over his shoulder. "But what is your small event when the greater issue of democracy is at stake? Man, this is about yours and everyone's freedom. Our parents fought to protect that right. Many brave lives were lost to preserve this hallowed state. We cannot turn our back on their valiant efforts so glibly! The protection of our municipality from potentially unscrupulous lobbyists must be upheld. There's always next year."
"But, but..."
"Shh. No more. We're still under observation. Any more and I'll probably be written up the the coalition's newsletter. I might even get an email from the mayor. Best we part before they become suspicious."
I left him looking disconsolately at the radishes while I sidestepped over to the onions and began an intense evaluation of the Vidalia bin.[/indent]
As Ian Adams points out on his East-End-Underground blog,
Quote
I agree, but I'd add a bit: running underneath council's activities (much more so this council than the last term) is an ugly undercurrent of partisan politics, like some sluggish, tainted Love Canal current that pollutes us from below. Or perhaps it can be compared to some ancient blood feud, like the Hatfields and McCoys, which still rages below the surface, popping up now and then into the public forum, even though its origins are long forgotten.
It's a Conservative-Liberal feud, and it sometimes taints the politics of what I believe should be a non-partisan level of government. But it isn't. Very distinct partisan veins run through our council, hard metallic fibres that intersect council business. As a political agnostic and someone who tries hard to remain neutral to parties, I feel this partisan approach sullies us considerably this term.
As Adams also notes in another post about the mayor's latest interview on The Peak FM,
Quote
Now that's a fantastic comment, and if only the mayor would be afforded the opportunity to sit down with Dalton McGuinty. I mean, it would be crazy to turn down that kind of opportunity; it wouldn't even have to be lunch, just a sit-down chat, premier to mayor, mayor to premier, not having to worry about, you know, partisan nonsense of who's a Liberal and who's a Conservative...
I think if the mayor gets the chance, he should definitely jump at it...
Well, apparently the invitation WAS extended but because the Premier is a Liberal, the Deputy Mayor ended up going. Hatfields and McCoys again: can't have a Conservative Mayor chatting amiably with a Liberal Premier, after all (well, we DID have last term, and the amiable relationship between the former mayor and the province was much to the betterment of this town, but that was last term and Things Have Changed, so that sort of beneficial political intermingling is NOT DONE these days).
Adams is right: this proposed lobbyist registry is really a lot about one person, and the fact that one person was our Liberal MP, and our Mayor is inflexibly Conservative only exacerbates the problem of partisanship. But the solution - a lobbyist registry - is petty and puerile.
Another issue in this debate, as raised by the Deputy Mayor, is the whole question of lobbying by special interest groups who have a political - not a social - agenda. The DM mentioned two groups in particular: VOTE and CCRA, both of which actively participated in and influenced the last election.
CCRA has recently boasted in its own newsletter about using its influence to elect the majority of people at the table. By their own words, that identifies CCRA as a political lobbying organization. Of course some of us already know that before this term but others used their efforts to their advantage to gain a seat at the table during the election. CCRA has now demanded that these people dance to their tune. This is very troublesome and identifies a serious weakness in our current election process.
My suggestion (and one that has been advocated by other residents) for dealing with such lobbying efforts is not to register them - I suggest that will simply mean the efforts to pressure politicians will move deeper below the surface and become harder to regulate - but rather to establish a ward system for the next election. That will restrict the influence of such lobbyists in future to those wards where they have members.