Gazette slams Ring's hire by Carter county; forgets Rehberg's role

by: Jay Stevens

Wed Sep 17, 2008 at 05:57:56 AM MST

Why should Montana counties or cities have to hire lobbyists to represent their interests in Congress? Why should local tax dollars be spent on communicating public needs to our elected federal representatives?

Washington lobbyists are an expense that Montana governments shouldn't have. We Montanans already pay two U.S. senators and a U.S. representative to make our voices heard on Capitol Hill.

However, Montana local governments and even public universities have turned to Washington, D.C., lobbyists to press their cases in the halls of Congress. As a report in Monday's Gazette about an indicted former lobbyist told us, employing a Capitol Hill lobbyist can bring as much trouble as help.

Okay...good, good...now...

Fortunately, members of Montana's congressional delegation seem to understand that it's their job to listen to the needs of Montanans, including local and state government leaders. The delegation members each are on record as pledging to make sure that lobbyists are unnecessary for Montanans.

Wait a minute, now! You can't go on record trashing Carter county for hiring Kevin Ring...without noting, you know, that county officials went to Dennis Rehberg, and he sent them to the Abramoff lobbyist, right? And then turn around and praise Rehberg for how "accessible" he is?

Does...not...compute...

Carter county comes up in Ring indictment

by: Jay Stevens

Sun Sep 14, 2008 at 16:51:53 PM MST

Ring was recommended to Carter County by Montana Representative Denny Rehberg. He was hired in 2003 to help obtain federal dollars to pave a portion of gravel highway between the small towns of Alzada and Ekalaka in southeastern Montana.

Prosecutors allege he used his inappropriate relationship with a congressional aide to secure some of that money.

* crickets *

Highway 323, revisited

by: Jay Stevens

Fri Apr 25, 2008 at 06:29:48 AM MST

Highway 323 is, of course, the road that Carter County paid Kevin Ring $100K to lobby for, on recommendation by Dennis Rehberg. (Coincidentally, Rehberg received a nice $1,000 campaign donation from Ring the day Ring signed the contract with Carter County officials.)

Well, Ring got Carter County its $9+ million, but turns out there's a little snafu:

Rehberg requested the money in the House. Baucus added money for other projects in the Senate. The final bill contained billions of highway dollars for Montana.

But according to the Montana Department of Transportation, that money can't be spent right away. Instead, the federal government trickles it out a little at a time over many years. That small trickle is not enough for the state to actually begin any construction, which typically cost a lot upfront.

To get around this, the state planned to pool small amounts of federal money from many different projects into one big account and use it for one project, like Highway 323.

Unbeknownst to either Baucus or Rehberg, U.S. House rules forbade this pooling. That meant the state couldn't spend the $9.6 million.

A local businessman is harassing Max Baucus about straightening out the snafu. But the snafu originated with the House rules, not the Senate's. And given that Rehberg had Carter County pay Ring $100K to lobby for an earmark that Rehberg requested, doesn't Rehberg owe Carter County a little extra effort?

Of course, there may be some procedural issue that only a Senator can solve. I don't know much about the rules of Congress. Or it could be that Max is the only one in this equation who actually has any pull to get something done in DC. Of course, if were from Carter County, I'd think twice before trying to lubricate the wheels again. A hundred thou didn't go as far as you thought it would, eh?