lobbying

Investor groups interested in tollroad concessions are putting their pitch in Washington DC for equity to play a major role in reviving the economy. They say $180 billion is available that could generate between 600k and 2m jobs in the US.

New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine has contributed $500k of his personal funds to set up a new group called Save our State NJ intended to campaign for his tollroads monetization plan, local press reported today. The group is being run by Jennifer Godoski, 30, who resigned from a $109k/yr job as chief of staff at NJDOT recently to take on the role of lobbyist and campaigner.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission's lobbying activities are the subject of critical reporting again. An article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (2008-01-22) by Joe Grata reports that last year the Commission spent $396k lobbying in Washington DC and $316k on state lobbying. Lobbying is officially termed government relations.

The Commission's director of government relations John Martino is on $132k/yr, Grata reports.

America Moving Forward (AMF) is the name of a group announced today to push the cause of private sector investment in roads - concessions, PPPs, longterm leases, DBFO, whatever moniker is to your taste. Executive director is Peter J Loughlin, 39, an attorney and lobbyist who has worked on the House transportation committee as director of government affairs at the Associated General Contractors and in a senior position at Koch Performance Roads.

The Washington Post's In The Loop column by Jeffrey Birnbaum has a table showing the Commonwealth (state) of Pennsylvania as the champion lobbyist in Washington among state and local entities. It is #1, spending $505k in the first half of 2007 on lobbying the federal government.

Equal #2 is Puerto Rico and Miami Dade County both $320k.

Channel 13 TV in Houston has been touting an "undercover expose" of the Metro transit system and ads it is running trying to get more riders. The ads of course talk about high gasoline prices and the cor lobbyistsonvenience of Metro's buses. It's an entertaining expose of what seems an expensive bit of marketing, and pretty silly, but an underlying theme of the reporters is that marketing by a government owned business is illegitimate.

Peter Ruane of the DC road builder lobby ARTBA had a letter in the Wall Street Journal (July 9) belittling the potential contribution of tolls and private capital, and he claimed USDOT endorsement. He chided the Journal editorial writers saying private capital for roads "is not the panacea you proclaim," continuing: "An August 2006 U.S.

EDITORIAL FOR IRF

Roaders of the World Unite, You Have Nothing to Lose but Your Deficits