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Councilors debate part-time lobbyist versus existing coalitions; manager to add budget item
Summary
City Manager Lehi outlined current advocacy arrangements (Maine Municipal Association, Maine Service Center Coalition, Maine Mayors Coalition and Mitchell, Tardy & Jackson) and councilors largely favored reserving modest funds for a part-time or on-call lobbyist; the manager will add a budget line-item discussion to the upcoming budget meeting.
City Manager Lehi briefed the legislative committee June 15 on the city’s current legislative advocacy arrangements and recommended budgeting for a targeted contract or retainer rather than hiring a full-time lobbyist.
Lehi told the committee that Bangor participates in the Maine Municipal Association (MMA), the Maine Service Center Coalition and the Maine Mayors Coalition, and that Mitchell, Tardy & Jackson performs lobbying work for those coalitions. She said MMA provides broad advocacy but that the city — despite being one of the larger communities in the state — has limited voting weight on MMA’s legislative policy committee, which can leave the city out of the majority position on some bills. “If you were interested in pursuing that, that’s where I would recommend we spend our money,” Lehi said, describing the greatest value as a retainer for a lobbyist who could attend hearings and advocate on specific priority legislation.
Multiple councilors supported the idea of a part-time lobbyist or a small dedicated budget line to contract lobbying as needed. One councilor, speaking from experience with a small nonprofit, said hiring a lobbyist for particular bills had been “invaluable” and suggested having a lobbyist “on call” for targeted priorities. Another councilor urged the committee first to identify its top priorities and then partner with relevant coalitions or local organizations rather than immediately hiring full-time staff.
Lehi told members she would bring the proposal to the Wednesday budget meeting for formal consideration and a vote, describing the anticipated amount as "somewhat nominal in the grand scheme of our budget." She also provided a separate update that staff were arranging a meeting about the state’s plans for Dorothea Dix and hoped to schedule that representative for an early spot on a future agenda.
No formal vote to create a contracted retainer or budget allocation appears in the supplied transcript segments; the manager’s statement commits staff to place the matter on the upcoming budget agenda for council action.
