David Michael Miller
Ald. David Ahrens wants to keep lobbyists from serving on any of Madison’s numerous committees and commissions.
Ahrens says he wants to avoid both genuine conflicts of interest and the appearance of conflicts in conducting city business.
“They’re professionally nice people,” Ahrens says of lobbyists. “Everybody thinks that they really like them.”
The current list of lobbyists to the city stands at 56, including at least seven lobbyists who now serve on committees or commissions. Two serve on two of the city’s more powerful bodies. Melissa Huggins, a lobbyist for American Family, Frank Productions, Ho-Chunk Nation Gaming, T. Wall Enterprises and five other groups, serves on the Urban Design Commission, which oversees building design. And Tom Landgraf, who represents Alternative Continuum of Care, serves on the Alcohol License Review Committee.
But many individuals who people think of as lobbyists aren’t registered.
For instance, Deb Archer, who is the head of Greater Madison Convention & Visitors Bureau and Madison Area Sports Commission, has not registered. She has urged the city to approve private developments, like a private hotel at Judge Doyle Square. Archer serves on the Monona Terrace Booking Event Assistance Advisory Committee, as a representative of the bureau. It’s a committee clearly related to her organization, but Archer wears different hats at different times.
Others who have registered in the past — including Carole Schaeffer, a private consultant who helps steer developments through the public process; and Zach Brandon, head of the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce — have not yet registered this year.*
“When you look at the list of lobbyists, it’s many people I’ve never heard of and don’t know who they are,” Ahrens says. “Most of the people I think of as lobbyists aren’t on this list. They’re not registering. But they’re lobbyists, and they’re on committees.”
Earlier in June, Ahrens filed a complaint against one of those people — Susan Schmitz, president of Downtown Madison Inc. — for not registering. Schmitz has since registered and says that she had been told she didn’t have to register every year. She last registered in 2012.
“Maybe I was given incorrect information, and I’m sure that wasn’t done on purpose, and I didn’t do this on purpose,” she says. “I’m transparent at all times. I sign in representing DMI at every committee or council meeting. I wear my DMI hat at all times. I’m happy to comply with the lobby ordinance.”
Schmitz is one of the lobbyists who serve on city committees — she’s on both the Ad Hoc Downtown Public Restroom Committee and the Equal Opportunities Commission. The city has about 100 committees, although some are not very active.
Schmitz says many people who register as lobbyists are professionals with knowledge vital to the city.
“If I think about the expertise in this long list, it would be a shame to lose that,” she says. “We need people who know these issues who are smart, because some of [the issues] are quite complex.”
Ald. Chris Schmidt thinks Ahrens’ proposal is overkill, with any potential conflicts already noted through registration and disclosures on specific issues.
“If we’re going to start chasing down people who have skin in the game, we’re going to have to do a lot more digging than this,” he says. “The idea that there’s some class of people who are not trustworthy or somehow corrupt...I don’t agree with it.”
Ahrens counters that keeping lobbyists off of committees doesn’t prevent them from providing input into the public process.
“There’s nothing to prevent citizens from attending every committee meeting and speaking on every issue and emailing me and telling me to do what,” says Ahrens, adding he would like to keep lobbyists from having an official committee vote.
“No one’s indispensable,” he adds. “Not even Susan Schmitz or any other lobbyist. The city will somehow find a way to function without them.”
* This story has been updated. According to the City of Madison, Annette Miller (Madison Gas and Electric) is in fact registered, and has been registered since Jan. 30, 2015.