Tales of Hoffman: lobbyists "our go-to people”

Today's Star Tribune reports in Chamber, Vikings lobbyists among Capitol’s big spenders:

Nearly 2,000 lobbyist-spending disclosure reports are expected to be turned in this week to meet the board's deadline for reporting activity from June to December of last year.

The Strib reports that the Vikes spent more than $350,000 on lobbying in the second half of last year, while the Chamber parted with $420,000 of the business group's coins. Bluestem is happy to see  the job creators generating some jobs.

Those lobbying jobs are definitely needed with folks like Gretchen Hoffman serving in the legislature. At a recent invasive species summit, the Senator from Vergas and her colleague John Carlson told the crowd:

Sen. John Carlson said that lobbyists and activist groups may have a negative connotation, but in reality, they are the ones who inform legislators on what the issues are and what they should know about them.

“These folks are golden to you,” he told the public at the summit meeting. “They have access to us.”

“There is no way we can know everything,” Sen. Gretchen Hoffman agreed. “These are our go-to people.”

Bluestem agrees that there is no way that Hoffman can know everything, though she might try a little harder. Perhaps this acknowledgement on her part will accompany a new birth of good will toward those lobbying for union members in her district.

Readers may recall that Carlson is so fond of lobbyists that he let them write a bill for him, later apologizing when his constituents objected to a provision eliminating pay equity language. He later called the provision "stupid."

That stupidity didn't stop Mike Parry from assuming the position of chief sponsor  of the bill when Carlson pulled his name.

Photo: Gretchen Hoffman, Senator from Vergas.

Comments

[T Pa or Coffee]

An "invasive species" summit? These characters probably attended because they thought the Canadians were sending in the troops.

[Phoenix Woman]

This is Kvetchin' Gretchen trying to put a positive spin on the fact that RPM legislators are all too often nothing more than the hired hands of whichever entity or entities pay their campaign bills. They should be required to show off their sponsors, much like NASCAR drivers do.