EVERETT – Snohomish County Councilman Gary Nelson is protesting the county’s almost-six-figure contract with a Washington, D.C. lobbying firm.
Nelson said the decision to hire McBee Strategic Consulting, for $96,000 for the year, is wasteful spending, and was intentionally done behind his back while he was on vacation last week.
The long-time Republican blames his Democratic counterparts on the council and County Executive Aaron Reardon.
“When I’m gone, the mice will play, and they play with Snohomish County’s money in a way that I have consistently opposed,” Nelson said.
Reardon was unavailable for comment, but his spokeswoman said Nelson’s ire was misplaced.
“It was a bipartisan vote,” Reardon spokeswoman Donna Ambrose said Monday.
Democrats Dave Gossett and Dave Somers were joined by Republican John Koster in approving the hire 3-0 on March 27, said Brian Parry, a policy analyst for Reardon.
Nelson and Democrat Kirke Sievers were not at the meeting.
Koster and Gossett could not be reached for comment Monday.
The county council approved Reardon’s proposal to hire McBee Strategic Consulting to lobby in the nation’s capital on the county’s behalf.
Paperwork for the proposal went through a county council administrative session and was assigned to a committee earlier in March before Nelson left for vacation, said Brian Parry, a Reardon policy analyst.
The lobbying firm will try to land money for transportation, law and justice, homeland security and emergency management, Parry said.
Nelson said the county already has organizations lobbying in D.C., and they don’t cost big bucks.
Snohomish County belongs to national and regional associations of counties that make their voices heard, he said.
Appealing directly to the county’s representatives in Congress is also cheaper and more efficient, Nelson said.
The issue came up last year and was rebuffed when Republicans had a majority on the council, Nelson said.
In that case, Reardon hired a lobbyist for less than a $50,000 threshold that would have required council approval, Nelson said.
“They know what my position is on this,” Nelson said.
Ambrose characterized the rift as a simple philosophical difference of opinion. Reardon’s stance is that the county needs a stronger, more focused voice than it gets from national association lobbyists, she said.
“The need is certainly more when you’re trying to get federal funds, so we feel it’s something that we need to do,” Ambrose said.
Nelson, on the other hand, accused Reardon of possibly having a political agenda.
“Maybe that’s what he wants in a new lobbyist: someone who is going to take the Aaron Reardon agenda back to Washington, D.C.,” Nelson said.
If Reardon were truly interested in a lobbyist to represent the county’s interests, he would have asked the county council to help in the selection process, Nelson said.
“He’s the only one who seems to feel that way,” Ambrose said. “Again, I go back to that bipartisan vote.”
The president of the four-year-old firm, Steve McBee, previously worked as an aide to three of Washington’s Democratic congressional delegation: Norm Dicks, Maria Cantwell and Al Swift, according to www.mcbeestrategic.com.
Others on his staff have worked across the aisle for Republicans, including Sen. John McCain of Arizona, according to the Web site.
Reporter Scott Morris: 425-339-3292 or smorris@heraldnet.com.
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