The Mount Vernon City Council took no action on hiring a Washington D.C. based lobbyist to work on behalf of the city for large projects.
Jayne Jones, a college professor, lawyer and former staff member of U.S. Senator Norm Coleman, proposed a $10,000 fee to lobby on behalf of the city of Mount Vernon. That represents half the amount of her normal lobbying requests.
Mount Vernon city administrator Chris Nosbisch noted there are a number of large scale projects that could benefit from lobbying for larger donations, but he noted there is no guarantee the $10,000 price tag would come with results.
“If we want to apply for earmarks, whoever is doing that would have to be in Washington D.C.,” Nosbisch said.
Mount Vernon city council member Stephanie West asked if $10,000 spent for a grant writer would provide a better chance of getting funding for projects.
Nosbisch said that it’s an equal gamble.
Council members were hesitant at committing $10,000 from the budget. The council didn’t shut the door on the possibility, just noted that it was too soon to tell if that would be something to consider.
Lobbyist funds not advance for MV council currently
May 27, 2021
About the Contributor
Nathan Countryman, Editor
Nathan Countryman is the Editor of the Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun.