Lobbying

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Baltimore city CEO Andres Alonso told city council leaders Tuesday that the school system is not in the financial position to inherit recreation centers that are slated for closure in the city budget, after being peppered by council members about the system's ability to bail out endangered youth programs. Following a presentation on the school system's $1.31 billion budget-- presented last week and due to be approved by the school board on May 22-- Alonso was asked by City Council President Bernard"Jack" Young to clarify the system's stance on taking over rec centers, saying that he was dubious about the option given that the system doesn't even have enough money to maintain its own school facilities.

A bill that would have banned convicted felons from working to influence legislation in Baltimore County was withdrawn Monday after concerns that it appeared to target one particular lobbyist, Bruce C. Bereano. "We want something more comprehensive to include other aspects of government," the bill's sponsor, Councilman Vince Gardina, said. "We want to extend it beyond lobbying to anyone dealing with government business or any general involvement with government." Gardina said there was a perception that his bill targeted Bereano — who had lobbied against the councilman's efforts to broadly restrict the indoor tanning industry — but that was never his intent.

If local pharmacists could write the regulations, Marylanders probably wouldn't ever have been allowed to get their prescriptions filled at chain stores like Walgreens and Rite-Aid. Independent video stores probably would have liked to outlaw Blockbuster, just as small bookstore owners probably would have been just as happy if the state had a ban on Barnes & Noble. (For that matter, Blockbuster might like an injunction against Netflix and Barnes & Noble on Amazon.com.) And most of all, Main Street merchants everywhere would probably love a world where Walmart was illegal.

A Democratic blogger is stirring an online discussion over whether Maryland's main Tea Party group is operating out of bounds by pushing for state legislation without having registered as a lobbying organization. It's not unusual for small, new groups to run afoul of the state Ethics Commission by failing to file required paperwork, but the issue has captured attention in this case because members of the conservative group Americans for Prosperity rail against "registered lobbyists" in their pitches to supporters.

WASHINGTON -Nonprofit and public interest groups are scrambling to adapt to President Barack stringent new ethics guidelines, which are so sweeping that they have blocked the ability of many sympathetic activists to get hired by the new administration. Many of the groups are rushing to terminate or curtail their lobbying activities as a result of the rules, which bar new officials from making policy on any matter involving their former employer or clients for a period of two years or from working at an agency they lobbied within the past two years.

WASHINGTON -- As the Jack Abramoff scandal arouses scrutiny of Washington lobbying, China is cashing into the game of political influence on Capitol Hill. Beijing is spending millions of dollars to secure its U.S. interests, improve its image and counter skepticism of Chinese intentions and values. This is a new development, and it will come under scrutiny today at a hearing of a House International Relations Committee panel. For years, Beijing enjoyed a low profile in Washington, allowing the U.S. business community to lobby for the bilateral economic relationship; both benefited.

State Sen. James C. Simpson, the latest outgoing legislator to turn to lobbying, delayed the start of his new career yesterday after learning that his original timetable would violate ethics law.Senator Simpson, a former Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, said he would postpone joining a well-known Annapolis lobbying firm until he officially leaves office Jan. 11.The firm of Manis, Canning & Associates announced yesterday that the senator would...

When President Clinton unveiled an energy tax proposal in his speech to Congress last month, shock waves rolled through the offices of Washington's energy lobbyists. But for some of Washington's hottest lobbying shops -- ones that specialize in orchestrating grass-roots mail and phone blitzes to members of Congress from the hinterlands -- the proposed tax has generated barrels of money.The American Energy Alliance, a coalition of more than 1,300 companies and trade groups including the American Petroleum Institute, has ponied up a million dollars to Burson-Marsteller Inc., the public relations giant, to nurture protests in 20 states against the tax, which Mr. Clinton wants to base on the energy content of fuels.

The Baltimore Teachers Union and the Baltimore Education Network are sponsoring a free workshop tomorrow for parents on strategies for lobbying the General Assembly on behalf of city schools. The training session, which will offer lobbying techniques, will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the fourth floor of City Hall. Information and registration: 410-225-7152, Ext. 5.

With No. 2 Notre Dame getting upended by St. John's, 8-7, in Thursday's semifinal of the Big East tournament, it would seem that the competition for the top overall seed in the NCAA tournament involves No. 1 Massachusetts (14-0), No. 3 Loyola (14-1) and No. 5 Duke (13-4). According to Laxpower.com, the Greyhounds have the No. 1 ranking in RPI, the Minutemen are No. 2 and the Blue Devils are No. 4. In terms of strength of schedule, Duke is third, Loyola is 23rd and Massachusetts is 27th.

Unlike most other states, Maryland shoppers have to make one extra stop for a cabernet to go with that steak they bought on sale at the supermarket —grocery stores in the state are generally banned from selling alcohol. Increasingly, though, grocery chains like Wegmans and Harris Teeter are trying to find ways around the prohibition, drawing pushback from Maryland's powerful liquor lobby and package goods stores but support from consumers hoping for easier food-and-wine pairings.

The narrow footbridge that crosses U.S. 29 in Columbia opened three decades ago with the promise of connecting the town's commercial center with the residential communities to the east. Today, the underused structure is unlit, encircled in chain-link fence and often covered in graffiti - uninviting to residents looking for a convenient way to cross the five-lane expressway that divides a town planned by renowned developer James W. Rouse, who sought to emphasize connections between its communities.

If you would like to open a bar or restaurant that sells alcoholic beverages on the Liberty Road corridor in Baltimore County, a liquor license will run you $2,000. About a 20-minute drive away, Joe's Crab Shack, a chain restaurant that's moving into the Hunt Valley Towne Centre, just paid $225,000 for its liquor license. The reason? An antiquated system that allots licenses by population in districts drawn decades ago and allows those licenses to be bought and sold on the open market.

Ida Elaine Robinson, a retired teacher who worked for more than 30 years at a Northwest Baltimore elementary school, died of complications of kidney failure March 14 at Sinai Hospital. She was 77. She was born Ida Elaine Page at her parents' Robert Street home. She often told friends she was christened the day after her birth at St. Peter Claver Roman Catholic Church because she was sickly and her parents feared she might not live. Family members said she was raised by a grandmother, Gertrude Ritchie, after her mother died when she was 5. As a girl, she and her siblings assisted their father, Thomas Crafton Page, in his produce stall at the Lafayette Market on Pennsylvania Avenue.

WESTMINSTER - Carroll County Public Schools Superintendent Steve Guthrie this week sent parents an email urging them to contact legislators to fight a state proposal by Gov.Martin O'Malley to shift a portion teacher pension costs to counties. In the email, Guthrie said the move could impose an addition $7 million obligation to the county. Currently, county school systems across the state negotiate contracts with teachers and pay Social Security costs, but the state pays for pension costs.

The Baltimore Teachers Union and the Baltimore Education Network are sponsoring a free workshop tomorrow for parents on strategies for lobbying the General Assembly on behalf of city schools. The training session, which will offer lobbying techniques, will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the fourth floor of City Hall. Information and registration: 410-225-7152, Ext. 5.

The state Republican Party accused Democrats yesterday of engaging in the same lobbying tactics that the Democratic Party is alleging are illegal. The Democratic Party asked the state prosecutor's office to examine radio advertisements launched by the Republican Party last week. The ads constitute an illegal lobbying effort because they seek to influence the outcome of legislative votes on veto overrides, Democrats say. The Republican Party is not registered as a lobbyist. Democrats also filed a complaint yesterday with the Maryland State Ethics Commission, which regulates lobbyists.

Elkridge residents are turning to lawmakers from Howard County for help fighting the potential placement of a CSX rail transfer facility in their community, arguing that lower costs should not be the only factor considered. The site in Elkridge is the cheapest of four potential locations, and the only one estimated to stay within the original $150 million cost estimate — which CSX and the state had agreed to split equally. But Elkridge residents say the project would devastate the property values of the 353 homes that lie within a quarter-mile of the facility.