OTTAWA — County and city elected officials across the state were sounding the alarm about Senate Bill 109, which they say is a stealth attempt to silence lobbyists of cities, counties and school boards. Franklin County Commissioner Don Stottlemire said the bill would forbid any city, county and school board from using public money to pay for lobbyists, or paying public funds to government associations with lobbyists. The bill would strip those government entities their rights to tell their side, he said. Stottlemire said the bill was dropped onto the calendar after the close of legislative business Friday night, with action scheduled first thing this morning. He told fellow commissioners this morning that lobbyists for the municipalities caught it. County Clerk Janet Paddock told commissioners this morning she received the same alert during a meeting of county clerks. The clerks’ lobbyist said legislators have been annoyed by the effectiveness of school districts’ lobbyists and were targeting them, but it would affect all other city and county groups, she said. However, she said it was likely that the bill would be killed as opposition mounts. County administrator Lisa Johnson noted that although lobbying has a negative connotation, government lobbyists perform a useful education function for legislators.
Monday, Feb. 11, 2 p.m.
