Washington DC Twitter: Aggressively Lobby

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Sunday, January 3, 2010

Roloson makes 41 saves, Schremp scores in shootout to lift Isles over Blue Jackets 2-1

UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Rob Schremp had just one goal in his 18 games with the New York Islanders this season.

Even so, Islanders coach Scott Gordon called for Schremp when their game against Columbus went to a shootout, and the 23-year-old responded by scoring the extra session's only goal to give New York a 2-1 win over the Blue Jackets on Tuesday night.

"He's one of our most skilled players," Gordon said. "His hands are second to none on our team. It wasn't a hard decision to pick him for the shootout."

Dwayne Roloson made 41 saves and Josh Bailey scored his first goal in more than a month for the Islanders.

R.J. Umberger's backhand goal with 10:13 left in regulation salvaged a point for the Blue Jackets, who are 2-13 in December and have lost 10 of 11.

The Islanders won for just the third time in the last eight home games while the Blue Jackets lost their 12th straight on the road.

"We're finally getting everything we need to do at home," Roloson said. "For us the simpler we keep our game, the better we are."

Schremp, who has just one regulation goal in 18 games, beat Steve Mason off a forehand deke after Jeff Tambellini and Frans Nielsen shot wide.

Mason made 24 saves.

In the shootout, Roloson made pad stop on Kristian Huselius, Rick Nash and Fedor Tyutin to secure the win.

"That's from being lucky and knowing the guy for a while," Roloson said. "Rick likes to do a couple of different things. I just tried to stay with him as best as I could."

Columbus played its third straight one-goal game. The Jackets beat the Detroit Red Wings 1-0 Monday and earned points in two consecutive games for the first time since Dec. 9-10.

"We're playing better defensively and that's huge for this team," Umberger said. "For so long we struggled giving up 5-6 goals. We scored so many but we couldn't keep that pace up. The defence is getting there and we have to build off it."

Bailey's rebound goal snapped his 14-game goalless streak and opened the scoring 10:04 in.

Mason made the initial save, deflecting Kyle Okposo's high-slot wrist shot with the top of his glove. The puck trickled behind the netminder as Bailey crashed the right post and knocked it past the goal line despite defenceman Jan Hejda's heavy pressure.

"I completely saw it," Mason said. "It just hit off my glove and the perimeter of my glove bent in and it flipped over. It's frustrating to have a goal like that go in because of an equipment thing."

The goal was credited to Okposo before being changed, making it Bailey's first score since Nov. 27 against Pittsburgh.

Mason kept the Blue Jackets down just a goal with back-to-back quality saves against Schremp and Matt Moulson.

Roloson was even sharper, turning aside 14 shots in each of the opening two periods. The 40-year-old had 40 or more saves for the second time this season.

"He hasn't had too many off nights," Gordon said. "Since the first month he's really elevated his game and has given us a chance to win almost every game."

The Blue Jackets tied the game at 9:47 of the third. Nash kept the puck alive at the blue-line with a dump-in and Umberger collected it and moved around Richard Park before firing a spinning backhand from the low right circle for his 13th goal.

The Islanders power play is 1-for-37 in the past nine games.

New York controlled play in overtime, holding a 4-2 shot advantage punctuated by Bailey's shot off the post in the final minute.

NOTES: The Islanders' last shootout was Nov. 14 at Florida. ... D Milan Jurcina and F Chris Clark made their Columbus debuts one day after the Blue Jackets acquired the pair in trade with the Washington Capitals. ... Islanders LW Jeff Tambellini returned to the lineup after being a healthy scratch the previous nine games. C Nate Thompson (shoulder) did not play and is expected to be out 1-2 weeks. ... Jurcina was selected to play for Slovakia in the upcoming Vancouver Olympics. He played in 2006, too.

Source:AFP

Give Homeland Security role in U.S. visas: Senator

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Homeland Security Department rather than the State Department should handle U.S. visas overseas to meet security threats, the chairman of the Senate homeland security committee said on Sunday.

Barack Obama

Connecticut independent Joe Lieberman raised the idea during a discussion on ABCs "This Week" of the attempted bombing of a Detroit-bound plane on Dec 25.

"I believe, incidentally, that we ought to take a look at taking the visa application and admission responsibility from the State Department. It doesn't really fit with foreign policy anymore," he said.

"And in an age of terrorism, I think the Department of Homeland Security ought to be handling visas abroad."

The 23-year-old Nigerian accused of the attempted bombing, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, held a multiple-entry U.S. visa issued in London, according to a statement by his family.

Leaders of the Senate committee say they will convene a hearing this month to examine airline security.

The committee's top Republican, Susan Collins of Maine, said on "This Week" the State Department should have revoked Abdulmutallab's visa after his family told U.S. officials they were worried about his activities.

The Homeland Security Department was to take control this month of a visa program for flight school students.

Foreign citizens from all but 35 countries, mostly in Europe but also including Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea, must obtain a U.S. visa to visit the United States but a visa does not guarantee entry. Some 5.8 million non-immigrant visas were issued in 2006, the most recent year listed on a State Department site on the Internet.

Source:reuters.com/

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Charges dismissed against Blackwater guards

Donald Ball, center, of West Valley City, was one of five Blackwater Worldwide security guards indicted in Washington D.C., for the shooting of Iraqi civilians. A federal judge Thrusday dismissed all charges. (Francisco Kjolseth / Tribune file photo)

He was a loving son. An Eagle Scout. A former Marine. A hardworking security guard.

But for the past nine months, Donald Ball has carried the burden of another description: Alleged killer.

No more.

A federal judge has ruled that all charges should be dismissed against the West Valley City man and four other former Blackwater security guards accused in the Sept. 16, 2007, killings of at least 14 unarmed civilians in Baghdad's Nissoor Square.

But while the ruling will likely bring an end to a legal case that has inflamed tensions between the United States and Iraq and ignited debate over the role of private security contractors in U.S. war zones, it does not resolve the question of what happened in the busy traffic circle on that day.

Prosecutors had called the shootings "unprovoked and illegal attacks on civilians." Defense attorneys had said the accused guards were under attack when they opened fire in the crowded intersection.

Judge Richard Urbina did not address that debate. Instead, he ruled that prosecutors, "in their zeal to bring charges," violated the guards' constitutional rights and rendered further criminal action unfeasible.

The five guards -- and a sixth, Jeremy Ridgeway, who has pleaded guilty to killing one Iraqi civilian -- provided testimony to investigators who promised the statements would not be used in a criminal case.

But Urbina ruled that prosecutors could not have made their case

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without the benefit of the guards' admissions. In using coerced testimony to bring the charges, "the government's trial team repeatedly disregarded the warnings of experienced, senior prosecutors, assigned to the case specifically to advise the trial team," Urbina wrote in a 90-page opinion.

As such, Urbina ruled, "the process aimed at bringing the accused to trial has compromised the constitutional rights of the accused."

"We're obviously disappointed by the decision," Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd told the Associated Press. "We're still in the process of reviewing the opinion and considering our options."

Prosecutors could appeal the judge's decision, but Ball's defense attorney believes that it is unlikely that they would succeed.

"It's a very reasonable and thoughtful opinion," said Washington, D.C., attorney Steven McCool.

Ball -- whose dreams of becoming a police officer have been deferred by the charges -- was "ecstatic" over the news, McCool said.

"He's had this hanging on his shoulders for quite some time now," he said.

From the beginning of the case, a united defense team representing Ball, Paul Slough, Evan Liberty, Dustin Heard and Nicholas Slatten have maintained that the guards were under attack when they returned fire in the crowded intersection.

"We've always maintained that the charges were unfounded," McCool said.

But in court pleadings, the defense also attacked the way the evidence against the guards was collected and questioned whether the United States even had jurisdiction to bring charges.

The accused men had faced mandatory 30-year prison terms if convicted on the charges of manslaughter and weapons violations.

Ridgeway has not yet been sentenced.

Source:sltrib.com/

Top Washington Twitters

Saturday, December 26, 2009

D.C. may get free health clinic

WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) - A nonprofit group that offers free health clinics for the needy around the world said it is seeking to come to the District of Columbia early next year.

Get listed here Remote Area Medical had been planning to stage a dental, vision and medical clinic next month at the D.C. Armory in southeast Washington. But organizers said they were surprised by a five-figure fee they were quoted to rent the armory.

The nonprofit group has organized more than 500 clinics worldwide, and for a time, a D.C. visit was left up in the air. But organizers now tell the newspaper a three-day event is likely to be held in March on the grounds of the former D.C. General Hospital, home to a city-funded health center.

Source:hometownannapolis.com/

Friday, December 25, 2009

Woman knocks down pope at Christmas mass

Pope Benedict XVI is assisted as he leads the Christmas mass in Saint Peter's Basilica at the Vatican Dec. 24, 2009. A woman jumped over a barricade at the start of Pope Benedict's Christmas Eve mass on Thursday and lunged at the pope, who was knocked to the floor in the confusion but then resumed the service apparently unharmed.Photograph by: Max Rossi, ReutersVATICAN CITY — An apparently deranged woman knocked Pope Benedict XVI to the ground after vaulting over security barricades in a dramatic start to Christmas Eve mass at St Peter's Basilica.

Video footage showed the woman in a red sweatshirt leaping over the barricade and grabbing the 82-year-old pope as he began the traditional procession to the altar on Thursday.

The pontiff emerged unharmed and later delivered his homily undaunted, speaking out against selfishness as Christians across the world celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

"Conflict and lack of reconciliation in the world stem from the fact that we are locked into our own interests and opinions, into our own little private world," said the spiritual leader of the world's 1.1 billion Catholics.

The woman, described as "apparently unbalanced" by the Vatican spokesman, was arrested by Vatican police, the ANSA news agency reported.

In Bethlehem, thousands of pilgrims celebrated Christmas in the traditional birthplace of Jesus, with festivities on a scale unseen since the outbreak of Israeli-Palestinian fighting in 2001.

At midnight mass, the top Roman Catholic cleric in the Holy Land called on the faithful to pray for peace in the troubled region.

"Its inhabitants are brothers who see each other as enemies," the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fuad Twal told worshippers. "This land will deserve to be called holy when she breathes freedom, justice, love, reconciliation, peace and security."

Live rock music mingled with traditional carols in Manger Square as thousands of pilgrims and Palestinians joined the festivities, providing some respite for a town living in the shadow of a huge Israeli-built wall.

"This is the place where God gave us his son, so it is very special for me to be here, for me and my whole community," said Juan Cruz, 27, from Mexico.

In the United States, a huge winter storm forced scores of churches to cancel Christmas Eve services as blizzards and freezing rain brought treacherous holiday travel conditions for millions.

At least 19 deaths were attributed to the storm system spanning two thirds of the country.

"This is a holiday mess," said Chris Vaccaro, a spokesman for the National Weather Service. "Its effects run the gamut from severe thunderstorms in the Gulf Coast to ice in New England to really what is a raging blizzard in the lower plains."

The northern parts of the massive system were expected to drop up to two feet (60 centimetres) of snow by Christmas Day while blizzard warnings were issued from North Dakota to Texas.

U.S. President Barack Obama left the freeze far behind, starting a family holiday in his native state of Hawaii cheered by a major health reform victory.

Snow, ice and stormy weather also brought fresh misery to Christmas holiday travellers across Europe, causing disruption on roads, rail and air travel.

Icy temperatures blasted Britain, with Scotland bearing the brunt of the freezing weather as temperatures sank to minus 15 degrees Celsius (five Fahrenheit) in some parts of the country.

The Eurostar rail service linking mainland Europe and Britain, which suffered days of chaos this week when its trains were affected by snow, was running to a "modified timetable".

Russia's former imperial capital of St. Petersburg was covered in the heaviest snowfall since 1881, with 14 centimetres (5.5 inches) of snow snarling traffic.

In the Philippines, thousands of people displaced by an erupting volcano prepared for a "White Christmas" of a different kind as Mount Mayon sprayed ash and politicians bearing gifts trooped to crowded evacuation centres.

Local authorities warned residents not to venture to within eight kilometres (five miles) of the crater because of the hazards posed by scalding ash and red-hot lava.

Rescuers were combing waters off Manila for at least 23 people missing after a ferry smashed into a trawler Thursday, the latest in a spate of deadly disasters. At least four bodies have been found.

Iraq was hit by a string of attacks Thursday that killed 27 people ahead of Christmas and the Shiite ceremony of Ashura, which commemorates the death of Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Mohammed.

Venezuela's firebrand President Hugo Chavez sought to put a damper on festivities, telling countrymen to end the gift-giving "insanity" of Christmas and instead reading children stories about independence hero Simon Bolivar.

"For the love of God, let's halt this, let's put the brakes on this consumerist, capitalist insanity, that leads us to lose our spiritual values," he said.

And in the City of London, a restaurant asked diners to sign a legal waiver before tucking in to traditional Christmas pudding in case they hurt themselves on silver charms inside.

Source:calgaryherald.com/

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Arenas firepower included weapons in locker

Photograph by: Brent Smith , ReutersWASHINGTON, Dec 24, 2009 (AFP) - Washington Wizards star playmaker Gilbert Arenas stored unloaded guns in his locker this month at the team’s home arena, the club said Thursday as the NBA began an investigation of the matter.

The Wizards said in a statement that there was no ammunication in his locked container and that both the NBA and local law-enforcement authorities were notified of the situation.

Arenas and the club "are cooperating fully with law enforcement during its review of this matter and will have no further comment at this time," the club statement said.

NBA labor regulations allow players to own firearms but ban them from having weapons at league facilities or while traveling on NBA-related matters.

"We’re aware of the situation and are working to gain a full understanding of the facts and relevant legal issues," an NBA statement said.

All-Star guard Arenas told the Washington Times that he brought his guns from his home to the arena after the birth of his daughter Hamiley earlier this month, wanting the guns out of the house.

"I wouldn’t have brought them to D.C. had I known the rules," Arenas told the Times. "After my daughter was born, I was just like, ’I don’t need these anymore.’"

Arenas said about a week after he brought them to his locker, he handed the guns to team security so they could be given to police.

Arenas, two weeks shy of his 28th birthday, had been suspended for the Wizards’ 2004 opener after failing to properly register a handgun while living in California the year before during his tenure with Golden State.

Three left knee operations had limited Arenas to only 15 games over the past two seasons, but Arenas is averaging 22.2 points this season, his second under a six-year contract worth 111 million dollars.

Source:canada.com/

Mtv Star Chung Voted Vogue’s Style Queen 2009

MTV chatshow host ALEXA CHUNG has beaten supermodel KATE MOSS and style icon SARAH JESSICA PARKER to the title of Vogue magazine’s best dressed woman of 2009.

The British beauty, a former model, has caused a stir in the U.S. since moving Stateside to host her own talk show on the music channel - and is often invited to high-fashion events and runway shows.

And it seems Chung has taken some tips from her couture connections - fashion bible Vogue has listed her atop its most stylish females countdown.

The 26 year old was closely followed by French actress Audrey Tautou, and then Sex And The City star Parker.

U.K. TV talent show The X Factor has also made its mark on the fashion world, with judges Cheryl Cole and Dannii Minogue in at number four and five respectively.

Harry Potter starlet Emma Watson, a model for Burberry and Chanel, comes in at number six, while blondes Sienna Miller and Diane Kruger also made it into the top 10 along with Indian newcomer Freida Pinto. Formerly undisputed style queen Kate Moss is last on the list at number 10.

Source:blog.taragana.com/

Long before Pacquiao, there was this global Filipina

2009 would be remembered as the year the Philippines honored a woman who was way ahead of her time
IF YOU WANT TO FEEL GOOD AS A Filipino—and who doesn’t?—even in a year of floods and massacres, see the Slim Retrospective at National Museum. You have until March to see this exhibit, truly world-class both as curatorial work and as a production.

While 2009 is known as another Pacquaio year, it should also be remembered as the year Philippine fashion paid tribute to Salvacion Lim Higgins (Slim), the designer who won global acclaim as early as the ’60s.

Her coffee-table book, “Salvacion Lim Higgins, Slim, Philippine Haute Couture 1947-1990)” was launched last November at National Museum, with the opening of retrospective exhibit of her clothes on 48 mannequins.

In 1964, at the New York World’s Fair where the Bayanihan was performing, the famous photographer Cecil Beaton went backstage after the performance because he wanted to see up close the Bayanihan’s Maria Clara-inspired costumes that were done in black and white. Beaton’s admiration was reported in media.

Lladro, the world-renowned Spanish porcelain brand, later issued a limited edition of the “Singkil” showing the Muslim princess in a costume designed by Slim.

The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, has in its collection a Slim jusi gown that belonged to former US First Lady Mamie Eisenhower. In 2004 Smithsonian included it in a rare traveling exhibit called “First Ladies: Political Role and Public Image,” alongside the works of fashion greats like Charles Worth. The jusi gown was presented to Mrs. Eisenhower by then Philippine First Lady Leonila Garcia on a state visit in 1958.

I met Salvacion Lim Higgins only once—the woman future generations would know popularly as “Slim” (or Slim’s, to refer to her school)—when I interviewed her about her fashion show. This must have been in the late ’70s—a very brief face time with her that hardly allowed me to know the woman.

But then, always having been lucky in career (provided it didn’t involve corporate political reptilians, that is), I had my second chance to really know this woman, the likes of whom could come only once in Philippine fashion.

It happened two years ago, when her children Sandy and Mark invited me to help document and review the career and contribution of their mother in Philippine fashion—indeed, the creative evolution that was her life—for a coffee-table book the two would produce this year

Source:Lifestyle.inquirer.net/

Project FUNDway rewards aspiring fashion designers - local students to show runway collections

(Rendering by: West Potomac fashion design student Alessandra Degregorio)

On Thursday, December 3, the Greater Washington Fashion Chamber of Commerce (GWFCC) will hold the first-ever Project FUNDway competition for local students aspiring for a career as fashion designers. The three student finalists, Michael Edwards, Samuel Mintah and Adegbemisola Ademisoye, will compete for a $5,000 fashion design scholarship. Taking its cue from the hit reality television show, Project Runway, the finalists will be judged on the design, construction, individuality and quality of a four-piece mini-collection they each created for this competition.

“The mission [of this competition] is to fund a way [for students] to go to school and study fashion,” said Maggy Francois, vice president of education and training for GWFCC and fashion design director for Project Stitch Studio at the West Potomac Academy of Fashion Design. Francois also stated that the students are not only aspiring designers, but also want to be writers and to learn the “business side of fashion,” which is what this contest seeks to teach them.
In addition to putting together a cohesive four-piece collection, the students are also responsible for the production of their own runway show – including searching for models, music selection and purchasing the materials for their garments.
Interested students from Washington, D.C., as part of the submission guidelines, had to present a garment design, write an essay about why they want a career in fashion and submit their grades in school in order to be eligible. Due to overwhelming interest from students in neighboring metro areas, Francois said next year’s competition will be open to students in Maryland and Virginia as well.
In addition to benefiting local students, this event, sponsored in part by the DC City Council and Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development for the District of Columbia Government, seeks to put Washington, DC on the map as a capital city of style by investing in the talent of its residents. Earlier today, the GWFCC released the first-ever report on the state of the DC fashion industry. The Fashion Census Survey Report and the Fashion Action Plan: Identifying the Needs of the Independent Fashion Industry in Washington, D.C.surveyed over 80 local fashion-related businesses and found that Washington, D.C. boasts over 1,900 retail stores and the overall retail industry generated $6 billion in general sales tax revenue for fiscal year 2008.
Download the PDF report here.
Although Washington, D.C. has not traditionally been known for its fashion forwardness, a strong and growing network of designers, merchants and business owners in the fashion sector view these initiatives as a step forward for DC’s burgeoning fashion economy.
Project FUNDways has been garnering considerable local media coverage in advance of the event. Tomorrow at 9:30am on FOX 5 Morning News, the finalists will talk about this contest as an opportunity to support their fashion career goals.
“It’s hard to find scholarships for fashion in this area,” said Francois. “Kids in DC want a fashion program…and want to be visual.”
To learn more about the student finalists and the Project FUNDway contest, visit http://www.gwfcc.org/

Source:examiner.com

Sportscaster George Michael passes away! R.I.P.

Washington, D.C., sports television channel as well as the whole world has suffered a huge loss Thursday morning. Sportscaster George Michael passed away from chronic lymphocytic leukemia at Sibley Memorial Hospital.

There have been three famous deaths before Christmas this year, first it was actress Brittany Murphy, then it was musician Derek Loux and now its sportscaster George Michael. George was famous for his show “The George Michael Sports Machine” highlights show which ran for almost three decades, starting from 1980 to 2007.

Michael had been a sports director at WRC TV in Washington, his mates called him a pioneer in sports broadcasting. He was very famous for his high-rated late-night show which featured half-hour local sports wrap-up on Sunday evenings, following the late newscast.

He was a former radio disc jockey-turned television sports anchor, may his soul rest in peace.

Source:newspostonline.com/

Sunday, September 6, 2009

States and Municipalities Aggressively Lobby Federal Government for Scarce Aid

Tucked within the Catskill Mountains, the tiny village of Kiryas Joel, N.Y., is best known for its almost exclusively Hasidic Jewish population and sky-high poverty rate.

Kiryas Joel has also this year spent as much of its own money to lobby the federal government -- $140,000 -- as cities exponentially larger, such as Chicago, Dallas and Tucson, Ariz.

Such lobbying largess represents a broader uptick in local, state and territorial governments spending their own taxpayers' money in a bid to influence Congress and federal agencies. The trend comes despite -- or perhaps, because of -- a deep recession that's eviscerated local governments' budgets from Maine to the Mexican border.

At $41.56 million through June 30, the non-federal public sector ranks 12th among 121 profiled industries and special interest areas in terms of federal lobbying expenditures, a Center for Responsive Politics analysis indicates.

That's more than the non-federal public sector spent on federal lobbying during all of 2001. Since then, its lobbying expenditures have increased each year, growing to more than $84.1 million in 2008.

So far in 2009, 73 local, state or territorial governmental entities have spent at least $100,000 between January and June to lobby the federal government. More than 750 have spent at least $20,000.

Topping the list? Puerto Rico. Three elements of its territorial government have combined to spend $610,000 on federal lobbying during the first half of 2009.

The island territory is followed by Pennsylvania ($540,000); Miami-Dade County, Fla. ($410,000); Los Angeles County, Calif. ($380,000) and Riverside County, Calif. ($300,000).

It's a sensitive topic for many local and state governments: Elected officials from, and hired lobbyists for Kiryas Joel and a dozen other municipal entities did not return requests for comment. Nor did officials from the National League of Cities or the United States Conference of Mayors.

But some local politicos openly contend lobbying the federal government is a wise and potentially lucrative investment, particularly for municipalities struggling during an economic downturn to provide essential services for their residents -- water, housing, transportation, jobs.

"We're not building museums. We're trying to address simple, basic needs for our people here," said Barrett Pederson, mayor of Franklin Park, Ill., which has spent $180,000 on federal lobbying efforts during the first half of 2009. "We want to make sure the message of Franklin Park and our residents is put in front of Congress in a clear, constructive matter."

The bulk of Franklin Park's 2009 federal lobbying expenditures -- it ranks 13th nationwide among local, state and territorial governments -- went toward securing federal funding for flood control and sewer rehabilitation projects, Pederson said.

Henderson, Nev., won't ever match the glitz of the city of which it's a suburb -- Las Vegas. But this year, it's edging its typically high-rolling neighbor in federal lobbying expenditures, $100,000 to $80,000.

Federal lobbying in part helped Henderson secure federal support for turning land near a small airport into a business zone instead of residential lots -- a city priority, said Santana Garcia, an intergovernmental relations specialist for Henderson.

"We wanted to ensure it was appropriately developed, and we were successful," Garcia said.

As for Puerto Rico, the territory must fight for federal attention without the clout of voting representation in Congress. Therefore, says Alison Lynn, director of strategic communications for the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration, hiring consultants can provide needed help.

"We're in a different situation than 99 percent of Americans -- a pretty unique situation," Lynn said, noting that the island is angling for more federal funding for war veterans and health care issues, among others.

She notes, too, that while Puerto Rico out-lobbied all other local, state or territorial government through June, it's scaled back expenditures compared to recent years. Indeed, the territory is on pace this year to post its lowest annual lobbying output since OpenSecrets.org began tracking such numbers in 1998.

Like any private entity, non-federal governments must adhere to federal lobbying disclosure rules. Generally, these rules apply to people paid by an organization to lobby federal officials on behalf of the organization's interest.

But mayors, city council members, city managers and other such officials find themselves exempt from federal disclosure rules. That means the true value of government-on-government lobbying is probably significantly higher than what's known.

Consider that city mayors routinely travel to Washington, D.C., to lobby the federal government on a variety of issues, from parks and public safety, to more recently, securing federal economic stimulus funding. Some do so under the auspices of umbrella groups, like the United States Conference of Mayors, while others do so unilaterally on behalf of their own jurisdictions.

A number of mayors met in February with President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden about stimulus relief, while another mayoral delegation met with Obama administration officials in April about environmental concerns.

Mayors who've this year met with Obama or top Obama officials include Thomas Menino of Boston, Richard Daly of Chicago, Tom Leppert of Dallas, Bill White of Houston, Manny Diaz of Miami, Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles, Ray Nagin of New Orleans, Phil Gordon of Phoenix, Luke Ravenstahl of Pittsburgh and Gavin Newsome of San Francisco.

Reliance on such stealth lobbying may in part (along with bruised city budgets) explain why big cities with high-profile politicos may be relying less on registered Washington lobbyists than smaller municipalities.

That federal lobbying expenditures of all kinds aren't disclosed is "unbelievable," says Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform.

"Not only are these numbers outrageous, but they almost assuredly understate the case," Norquist tells Capital Eye. "At the least, it should be reported when taxpayer dollars are used in any form to lobby the federal government, and frankly, I don't think taxpayer dollars should be used for this purpose at all. Taxpayer dollars are not voluntary."

Back in Kiryas Joel, the $140,000 worth of those taxpayer dollars spent on lobbying this year roughly equals the average yearly income for nine working residents. Reports filed by the lobbying firm the village hired, Russ Reid Company, indicate its lobbying centered on transportation and federal appropriations legislation. (See these reports here and here.)

And despite its status as the nation's most impoverished municipality, Kiryas Joel is on pace this year to nearly double its previous lobbying record -- $160,000 in 2006.

Top federal lobbying expenditures by non-federal governmental entities between January 1 and June 30:

Government entity / organization 1st quarter $ 2nd quarter $ Through June 30 $
Puerto Rico 230,000 380,000 610,000
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 270,000 270,000 540,000
Miami-Dade County, FL 205,000 205,000 410,000
Los Angeles County, CA 190,000 190,000 380,000
Riverside County, CA 160,000 140,000 300,000
San Diego County, CA 110,000 120,000 230,000
Wayne County, MI 115,000 115,000 230,000
State of Nevada 120,000 110,000 230,000
City of Phoenix, AZ 100,000 120,000 220,000
City of Jacksonville, FL 90,000 100,000 190,000
City of Birmingham, AL 95,000 95,000 190,000
Municipality of Anchorage, AK 95,000 90,000 185,000
Village of Franklin Park, IL 30,000 150,000 180,000
State of Indiana 83,500 83,500 167,000
Orange County, CA 77,500 87,500 165,000
City of San Antonio, TX 81,100 81,100 162,200
City of New Orleans, LA 60,000 90,000 150,000
City of St Helena, CA 60,000 90,000 150,000
Monterey County, CA 60,000 90,000 150,000
Broward County, FL 70,000 70,000 140,000
City of Chicago 70,000 70,000 140,000
City of Dallas, TX 70,000 70,000 140,000
City of Tucson, AZ 70,000 70,000 140,000
Madison County 70,000 70,000 140,000
Santa Clara County, CA 70,000 70,000 140,000
Village of Kiryas Joel, NY 70,000 70,000 140,000
Cuyahoga County, OH 80,000 60,000 140,000
Village of Bensenville, IL 110,000 30,000 140,000
Plaquemines Parish, LA 80,000 50,000 130,000
Lower Colorado River Authority 90,000 40,000 130,000
City of Auburn, AL 62,500 62,500 125,000
State of California 62,500 62,500 125,000
City & County of San Francisco, CA 60,000 60,000 120,000
City of Austin, TX 60,000 60,000 120,000
City of Carrollton, TX 60,000 60,000 120,000
City of Detroit, MI 60,000 60,000 120,000
City of Houston, TX 60,000 60,000 120,000
City of San Francisco, CA 60,000 60,000 120,000
King County, WA 60,000 60,000 120,000
Sacramento Area Flood Control 60,000 60,000 120,000
Sacramento County, CA 60,000 60,000 120,000
City of Miami, FL 70,000 50,000 120,000
Santa Rosa County, FL 70,000 50,000 120,000

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