Grand Jury Report Calls For County Lobbyist Registry

The Grand Jury issued a report today calling for the registration of County lobbyists.

This report will be immediately attacked by the insiders who don’t want you to know who they’re wheedling, and for what. We’ll hear all about the horrors of bureaucracy (most likely from the Children and Families Commission teat-sucker) and freedom of speech and every other red-herring they can think up.

A registry is a good idea. Who’s it hurt? No big bureaucracy is necessary – just a page on the County’s website and a few minutes time a week updating the data. No fees need to be collected, no vast amount of paperwork needs to be generated.

Of course such a registry needs to include the lobbyists who work for the employee unions; people like Wayne Quint and Nick Berardino should have to account for their visits to the 3rd and 5th Floors, just like any other importuning lobbyist.