City Council struggling with D.C. lobbying deal

Erin Neff

Tuesday, June 6, 2000 | 11:16 a.m.

Three more weeks of lobbying by the best in the business haven't helped the Las Vegas City Council come any closer to a decision about who should represent the city's interest in Washington, D.C.

A survey of four of the six council members who will consider federal lobbying contracts Wednesday found no consensus.

The three firms vying for a piece of the current $164,000 federal lobbying pie may have to make their pitches again in January, after the elections.

"My preference would be just to leave things where they are for the next few months and then really focus on what we need and who can best do it," Councilman Larry Brown said.

Leaving things as they currently are would mean both of the city's current federal lobbying firms, Alcade & Fay and U.S. Strategies Corp., would continue temporarily. Cassidy & Associates, the third company battling for the lobbying action, wouldn't necessarily be ruled out, however.

Alcade & Fay is paid $68,000 and U.S. Strategies gets $96,000 a year.

After all three firms gave presentations to the council on May 17, the board decided it needed more time to digest the information.

Councilwoman Lynette Boggs McDonald noted the monthlong delay cannot tell council members what they need to know -- what the White House and Congress will look like after the fall elections.

"I think first and foremost, we need to somehow have someone who definitely has bipartisan rapport," she said. "The universe can be very different come January 2001."

In addition, there's been a shift in the city's priorities.

One of the reasons the lobbying contract has gained such importance this year is the different makeup of the council. Mayor Oscar Goodman has made redevelopment his key issue. Council members Boggs McDonald, Michael Mack and Lawrence Weekly have all been on the job a year or less.

"For me to be able to say who's better is very hard," Weekly said. "But more important to me is what do we want from them.

"I would prefer to tell them what our priorities are and find out how they can meet our needs."

Councilman Gary Reese said he would support keeping the status quo -- Alcade & Fay and U.S. Strategies -- even after the city's priorities are set.

"I think I'm going to just support the two that we have," Reese said.

Goodman, who will not vote on the contract because of his friendship with one of Alcade's local liaisons, said last week he doesn't think two firms are necessary.

"I like to think that I'm the frugal mayor," Goodman said. "In my opinion, one lobbyist could do the job."

But his opinion won't be a factor since his friend and mayoral campaign manager, Tom Letizia, has taken a job with Alcade -- in part to lobby the council for the contract.

Cassidy & Associates, which several council members said gave a sub-par presentation on May 17, has tapped Clark County Commissioner Dario Herrera to lobby the council on its behalf.

"I didn't feel their presentation before the council was the best," Boggs McDonald said. "But they have the broadest array of clients who cross both aisles."

Bipartisanship is a possible edge for Cassidy. But the firm's large size could drive the council away from it.

Alcade & Fay, which also lobbies on the city's behalf against nuclear waste storage at Yucca Mountain, is viewed as a proven firm to secure money and votes from the nation's capital.

The main problem several council members see is that the firm also represents North Las Vegas and might have to choose one client over the other, one council member suggested.

But the bottom line for a majority of council members is that the city needs to first figure out what its priorities are.

A step in that direction will occur Wednesday when City Manager Virginia Valentine presents a plan to unify three different redevelopment activities.

Under her proposal, the private sector City Centre Development Corp. would combine staff with the city's Office of Business Development.