Commissioner Murman mentioned in this StPetersBlog article on lobbying reforms:

 

Brian Willis says Sandy Murman proposed reforms don’t go far enough

By Mitch Perry –

 

Sep 24, 2015

 

Reacting to a perceived backlash to the behind the scenes effort with the Go Hillsborough transportation initiative, Hillsborough County Commission Chairwoman Sandy Murman on Wednesdayreleased a proposed ordinance to provide more transparency on who is trying to influence public officials.

Lobbyists who visit county commissioners or employees would have to register for a fee and disclose what their interests were, allowing the public to search and track lobbyists activities online. Nonprofit lobbyists would be required to register annually but pay no fee.

But Brian Willis, a Democrat running for the County Commission District 6 seat next year, says Murman’s efforts fall short.

“The problems at County Center go beyond lobbying,” he says in a statement released Wednesday afternoon. “Citizens shouldn’t have to make a public records request to get most information out of the County.” Willis says “Restoring public confidence must go beyond lobbying reform. The County must start using technology to proactively make data and documents available.”

Willis’ proposals include:

  • A lobbyist registration database should be online and accessible to the public, instantaneously.
  • If you are getting paid to influence government employees or elected officials, then you are a lobbyist and must register.
  • The county should put our entire checkbook online in real time so citizens know how money is being spent.
  • Government contracts, proposals & payments to contractors should also be online, instantaneously.
  • Once documents go online, they should remain online in an open and searchable archive.
  • Contractors and lobbyists should pay a small registration fee to cover the expenses of the reporting system.

“I am committed to making sure the County is proactively disclosing data and documents. If we had done all of this before we started this process we wouldn’t be talking about backroom politics. We’d be talking about the best way to improve the County’s transportation system,” said Willis.

Backdoor politics is all anyone seems to be talking about, however, in the wake of theWTSP report highlighting the influence of public relations and political consultant Beth Leytham, a subcontractor working with Parsons Brinckerhoff on the Go Hillsborough public outreach effort.

County Commissioners have reacted with alacrity to the WTSP report. Two days after it originally aired, they voted unanimously to have their internal auditor conduct an investigation about how Parsons Brinckerhoff was able to procure the contract to organize the transportation effort. Critics have been suspicious about the process from the onset, critical of the possibility that a sales tax could be implemented to fund transportation projects.

Murman suggested that the Go Hillsborough meetings that have been taking place at various public libraries throughout the county be halted. That hasn’t happened. On Monday though, County Administrator Mike Merrill opted to request that Hillsborough Sheriff David Gee conduct an investigation.

Leytham has said she is not a lobbyist, however, leading some to question if Murman’s proposals could have shed anymore transparency on the goings on with the Go Hillsborough effort.

County Commissioners are still months away from determining whether or not to put a transportation tax on the 2016 ballot, with some hedging their opinions in recent days.

Willis is competing against Pat Kemp and Thomas Scott in the District 6 Democratic Primary.