Meet a lobbyist, his ethics still intact

Published 11:14 pm Saturday, January 31, 2009

It didn’t take long for President Barack Obama to break one of his promises.

Within hours of taking office, he signed rules aimed at barring lobbyists from working in an agency that they had been lobbying in the recent past.

Then he nominated William J. Lynn III, a lobbyist for the military contractor Raytheon, to be deputy secretary of defense in charge of military spending.

As ethical fractures go in Washington D.C., this is a relatively minor one, the result of a collision of a new president’s idealism with the hard reality that erecting an impenetrable wall between those who govern and those trying to influence them is neither easy nor always desired.

Here in Washington state, such political injuries are a rare occurrence, as the barrier between lobbying and governing is so porous it resembles a jamb without a door.

Pages of rules combined with the high-wattage spotlight of public disclosure are how the state monitors the ebb and flow of interaction of lobbyists, lawmakers, government employees and citizens.

But every once in a while, a new twist in such ties comes along for which clear rules are not written and extra light may help.

Like the case of Dick Thompson.

An Everett native, Thompson is a man of unquestioned character and distinguished public service who finds himself in one of the most unique positions created in state government.

On Christmas Eve, Gov. Chris Gregoire tapped Thompson — whose career includes stints as state budget chief, University of Washington lobbyist and city manager of Everett — to help ensure this state receives every dollar possible from the forthcoming federal economic stimulus package

His job has no written description of duties. He is basically trying to ensure leaders of cities, counties and the state and those in Washington’s congressional delegation have vital information they need on how billions of dollars may get spread around when it arrives.

He answers to the governor. He can speak on her behalf. He’s got a state office. He has no paycheck — a quirk — because he’s volunteering.

But he’s not without income. Thompson worked as a consultant before Gregoire called him up and — another quirk — he’s kept those contracts alive.

One of them is with the city of Everett, which pays him $3,000 a month.

Mayor Ray Stephanson hired Thompson a couple of years ago to help the city land a University of Washington branch campus. While that effort has waned, Stephanson has sought Thompson’s advice on other regional issues.

But now Stephanson can’t call him up about the stimulus package, which is pretty darn important stuff for the city.

While he’s still receiving money from Everett for his consulting, Thompson said talking about the stimulus package or even the process raises the specter of an ethical foul.

That’s one tough wall that won’t likely crumble unless the city breaks its contract with Thompson.

Ironically, it’s a wall with the thickness Obama probably envisioned for his administration.

Political reporter Jerry Cornfield’s blog, The Petri Dish, is at cmg-northwest2.go-vip.net/heraldnet. He can be heard at 8:15 a.m. Mondays on the Morning Show on KSER 90.7 FM. Contact him at 360-352-8623 or jcornfield@heraldnet.com.