NOREEN: Lobbyists shift to defense in hard economic times

There's an "L" word signifying something that isn't too popular these days.

The "L" word surfaces in campaigns, it smudges resumes and if politicians embrace it too much, the "L" word can hurt political careers.

No, it's not "liberal." The L stands for lobbyist.

Scandals and near-scandals involving lobbyists in the past couple of years have hurt the profession's reputation overall. The Jack Abramoff scandal brought some lawmakers down; Sen. John McCain was briefly linked (wrongly, it appears) to an attractive female lobbyist during his bid for the presidency.

Some Coloradans may be cheered by the fact that this year's legislative session is not going to be much fun at all for lobbyists.

There is no money for new programs, so lobbyists won't be competing for goodies.

Instead, many of them will be playing defense, trying to protect their clients' portion of the pie.

"There's no money," said Erin Goff, a lobbyist for the Colorado Municipal League. The cash shortage is bound to pit state agencies against each other, and Goff predicted that bills that cost money will die silent deaths in the Appropriations Committee.

Lobbyists, who generally know the detailed back story in the halls of the Statehouse, often are reluctant to have their names used in print, because legislators who disagree with things that are printed may seek revenge on the lobbyist saying them. One such lobbyist said, "the only place to balance the budget is out of higher education. In the past, CU (the University of Colorado) has taken disproportionate cuts."

Does it bode ill for the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs that there are not many majority Democrats from this area?

Not necessarily. Regardless of party affiliation, legislators with colleges in their districts tend to be protective of the schools and CU has a strong lobbying presence at the Statehouse.

Andy Colosimo, a lobbyist for Colorado Springs Utilities, said he'll be tracking enabling legislation needed to create the Fountain Creek drainage district recently agreed to by El Paso and Pueblo counties. Colosimo said Utilities also is concerned about a bill "to mandate that we spend a certain amount of money for energy efficiency."

Most years, he said, "much of our work is playing defense, trying to keep the state out of involvement with how we do business."

Private lobbying firms foresee a tug-of-war.

"I certainly think there will be a lot of playing defense on the budget," said Christine Staberg, a partner in The Capstone Group, a Denver lobbying firm that represents a long list of corporations and public agencies.

Staberg said the recession isn't hurting lobbyists, whose services are needed in good times or bad.

Lobbyists are a bit like property appraisers, who have plenty of work when homes sales are brisk, as well as when there are thousands of foreclosures.

Angela Lawson, who keeps track of the lobbyist registry for the Colorado Secretary of State's office, said that so far this year, 547 lobbyists have registered. Last year, 676 signed up. Lawson said dozens of lobbyists register after the session begins, so there will soon be at least as many lobbyists registered as in 2008.

That means lobbyists will outnumber legislators by about six to one. Imagine: Hundreds of people who have no problem with the "L" word.

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Contact Noreen at 636-0363 or noreen@gazette.com. Noreen is taking some time off and will not be answering e-mails or phone calls this week.