Northpinellas: Library lobbyist may get second chance

But looming on the horizon is the very real possibility that the state might not have enough money for every little request -- especially one that is not mandated by recently approved constitutional amendments.

City officials hope Mortham will convince the state's budget gods that Largo really needs the library. Largo is so confident of this that they're footing Mortham's $50,000 bill for the second year.

It almost worked last year, those officials say. Mortham got the library request as far as Bush's desk.

Bush vetoed it, so Largo wants to try again.

"We got pretty close," said City Manager Steve Stanton. "Without a lobbyist, that wouldn't have happened."

Other officials aren't sure that paying Mortham $100,000 for two years' work is the best way to bring $500,000 to the city.

"The money got vetoed last year and the state's economy is worse this year," City Commissioner Marty Shelby said. "The 20 percent (commission) on $500,000 is too much."

Shelby also complains that Largo didn't seek bids competitively for the right to represent Largo before the Florida Legislature.

Largo hired Mortham to lobby for them this year. On Nov. 19, the city took the first steps toward hiring her again for 2003. Shelby was the only commissioner who voted against re-hiring the former Largo commissioner, state legislator, cabinet officer and, for a while, Bush running mate.

The other commissioners believe Mortham's political history puts her in the best position to help the library and to help the city settle certain annexation issues that might come before the Legislature this year.

"She used to be a commissioner," said Commissioner Charlie Harper. "She knows the area and knows all about Largo's needs. She knows how the political structure works in Tallahassee. That's extremely important in trying to get grant money from the state."

Mayor Bob Jackson said that Mortham will concentrate on trying to get the city's money via a literacy grant that could be placed on the state's education budget. That way, the grant would be veto proof. The city also hopes to get separate construction grant funds, Jackson said.

Besides being a former Secretary of State, Mortham also was Bush's running mate for a short time in 1997 and 1998. She took herself off Bush's ticket because of a series of financial mishaps where, among other things, it was found that she used a $60,000 tobacco company donation to gain voter support instead of using it for its intended recipient -- the Florida Museum of History. She then lost a secretary of state re-election bid to Katherine Harris.

City Commissioner Pat Gerard doesn't think that history will hurt Largo's money chances.

"I understand that their relationship is not damaged at all," Gerard said. "If she was taken off the ticket, that was a political decision. That doesn't mean he doesn't have respect for her. That was a long time ago."

Mortham, who is also the CEO and lobbyist for the Florida Medical Association, thinks it's important for the city to discuss her role.

"They have to, No. 1, look at the circumstances," Mortham said. "It is important to hold people accountable."

But both Mortham and the city manager think she's done quite well for the past year.

"What was accomplished last session? Nothing," Stanton said. "And that's a good thing. It's (called) defensive lobbying."

Mortham says it takes time for small line items -- often called turkeys, or pet projects that benefit only one lawmaker's district -- to be accepted by the state's higher ups.

"Any time a project gets put into the budget it's a plus and I think that also sets the stage for this year because people have seen it before," Mortham said. "It gets more credibility with each session that goes by. There are very few things in the legislative process that happen the first year."

The larger question for this year, critics say, is whether the Florida Legislature can afford to spend money on "turkeys."

Voters recently approved two state Constitutional amendments requiring smaller class sizes and pre-kindergarten education. The Legislature must also pay for state court costs and find a way to finance the first installment of the high-speed rail approved by voters in 2000. Those items will cost well over $1-billion dollars.

"It's not going to be an easy sell to the Legislature to fund anything that is not currently funded," Mortham said. "It's going to be a challenging year. I think it'll trickle down and affect almost every program in the state."

That's exactly why lobbyists are needed, said Elithia Stanfield, an assistant county administrator and lobbyist for Pinellas County.

The state will often pass laws that aim to increase the amount of money smaller, municipal and county governments should pay for items that the state historically has financed, Stanfield said.

"Last year 3,000 bills were filed in the Legislature and, of those, almost 400 may have had some impact on county operations," Stanfield said. "Our job is to try and protect you all."

Only a handful of Pinellas governmental bodies use lobbyists. In addition to Stanfield's work, the county pays $100,000 a year to the Pennington, Moore, Wilkinson, Bell and Dunbar, PA law firm in Tallahassee. The county uses another law firm on a need-only basis, Stanfield said. That firm is paid around $40,000 a year.

St. Petersburg has a lobbyist on staff; St. Petersburg College uses one; and Clearwater pays the Pennington law firm $48,000 a year for their services.

Largo commissioners vote on Mortham's contract at a final public hearing Tuesday.

Mortham understands the talk of whether her services should be renewed.

"If they don't believe an employee or a lobbyist is doing what they need to do they certainly would need to look somewhere else," Mortham said. "It's one of those situations where it's up to the city to make those decisions."

Still, some city officials think that Mortham is the best for their city.

"She's a Largo gal, you know," Gerard said. "If you can't trust her to do right by Largo, who can you trust?"

-- Adrienne Samuels can be reached at samuels@sptimes.com .

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