You may think that the word “lobbyist” is synonymous with business, industry, and nonprofits. It’s not. In North Carolina, a number of local governments directly lobby the legislature. I wrote about it in this Carolina Journal story. A sample:
While the legality of local government lobbying is settled, the question of whether the practice is appropriate isn’t.
“What’s happening is that people are being forced to pay taxes that end up supporting lobbying efforts that may be against their best interests and principles,” said Becki Gray, vice president for outreach for the John Locke Foundation and a registered lobbyist for JLF, which publishes Carolina Journal. “Let’s say you feel strongly about a contentious issue in your community that’s being considered by the legislature, or you prefer belt tightening to tax increases. Your tax money can be used by your city or county to argue against you.”
Ellis Hankins, executive director of the North Carolina League of Municipalities, counters that based on case law, local governments have a responsibility to communicate with the General Assembly. “It says that not only can municipalities and counties expend some public funds within reason in communicating with members of the General Assembly, but that they have the responsibility to communicate and work with members of the General Assembly because that’s where all the authority that governs what a city and county do comes from. That’s an important principle.”
