Last week the municipal lobbying bill was defeated by a narrow margin in the Judiciary Committee. The bill would have required registration with the Office of State Ethics by those who lobby municipalities, in the same fashion as is currently required of individuals who lobby state government. Supporters raised their voices in the name of transparency, that umbrella of clean government that has been rising steadily over Connecticut ever since Governor Rowland and Mayor Ganim rained on the state’s political scene. But opponents claimed it was too constrictive on those who come before municipal government, in particular local boards and commissions.
The push and pull between codes of ethics and over-regulation is not new. The state lobbying code is constantly tweaked and amended to the point where it is unwieldy in many ways. The intent is correct and the regulated community does its best to comply with its provisions. However, some municipalities are functioning in the absence of any code and those who lobby them are doing so without any guidance, or restriction. This void of regulation has proven to be problematic, most certainly.
Members of the Bar Association have worked with the legislature for several years to create language that attempts to mitigate the boards and commissions issue. Absence of any regulation is not the answer either. Has Connecticut’s quest for clean government and transparency gone too far? Looks like we need to find the happy medium.
