The Price of Arm Twisting

By Elise Young, The Record, Hackensack, N.J.

Mar. 9–New Jersey lobbyists spent a record $55 million last year trying to influence lawmaking on such issues as cable TV service, liquor licensing and development in the Meadowlands, according to figures released Thursday.

Their total cost — including salaries, travel and meals for legislators — represented a nearly 90 percent increase over 2005 spending. That percentage is skewed, however, because for the first time lobbyists — officially known as “governmental affairs agents” — had to report their direct-mail and advertising costs.

Their expenses are tabulated annually by the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission. Some of the 2006 highlights:

North Jersey matters

–Cable service: Verizon set a state record for the highest amount devoted to one issue — $4.7 million for the video franchise law, which would allow upstart Verizon to bypass town-by-town service negotiations and compete with established companies such as Cablevision, potentially leading to lower rates for subscribers. Verizon was heavily criticized by consumer advocates for a direct-mail campaign that used elected officials’ names without permission, but ultimately the effort paid off. In August, New Jersey became the fourth state to allow cable television delivery over a fiber-optic network, and the service is offered in 316 towns.

–Special liquor licensing: Mountain Creek Resort’s $96,000 expenditure got the attention of lawmakers, who passed a bill giving more than a dozen liquor licenses to the Vernon ski area. The approval meant that Mountain Creek could circumvent local regulations and the state application process.

Typical liquor-license applicants, such as bars and resataurants, got no such break, so they continue to face a lengthy review and limits on the number of licenses each municipality can issue.

The resort’s owner, Intrawest of Canada, said the licenses were crucial to enticing visitors year-round.

–EnCap: The company spent $224,000 related to its multibillion-dollar transformation of a blighted stretch of the Meadowlands in Lyndhurst and Rutherford into a showpiece of housing, retail and golf courses. EnCap right seeks $366 million in payments from the state. Such a windfall is likely to be delayed — if it happens at all — in light of The Record’s reporting on how EnCap managed to get hundreds of millions of taxpayers’ dollars without public approval.

Let’s do lunch

–My treat: Travel, meals, entertainment, gifts and lodging costs were up 4.3 percent, to about $46,000 from about $44,000. That’s less than half the amount — $96,000 — spent in 2002, because ethics and disclosure rules have tightened for lawmakers (and aides) and lobbyists. The lowest cost was a $10 meal for a legislative staffer, the highest for two aides’ trips to Washington, D.C., at a cost of $345 each.

–Hot spots: The New Jersey Business and Industry Association had 64 guests for its $40-a-plate event at the Trenton Marriott Lafayette Yard. The association also paid about $70 each for an event for 25 guests at Forsgate Country Club in Middlesex County. For its annual train trip to Washington, D.C., the state Chamber of Commerce paid $5,182 for 37 rooms at the Marriott Wardman Park. The chamber also paid $3,230 for 19 Amtrak tickets, at $170 each.

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