Politics & Government

Congressman Tierney Cautions Selectmen Against Using Lobbyists

The congressman told selectmen Wednesday that lobbyists have limited value in the post-earmark, tight-budget era.

 

Democratic Congressman John Tierney advised selectmen on Wednesday to be careful about using lobbyists as grant writers.

Rep. Tierney visited board members Wednesday via a town arranged Internet hook-up, Skype.

Find out what's happening in Swampscottwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Tierney cited federal formula funding that has come to Swampscott during his time in office. These are education, transportation and other funds that are apportioned to towns and cities based on federal guidelines.

He also listed other federal funding that he had helped secure for Swampscott.

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Tierney was invited to speak with the board by Selectman David Van Dam.

Van Dam was the lone board member to oppose, at an earlier meeting, a proposed town budget item to spend $10,000 for a lobbyist to pursue federal competitive grant funding for one or more Swampscott projects.

Grant writing is the route municipalities and others now use to secure competitive grant funding since earmarks were discontinued in the House last year.

Some selectmen who supported the proposed $10,000 expenditure argued for it since, they said, the congressional delegation had not secured much federal money for Swampscott.

Tierney said that during his time in office, Swampscott had received $1.8 million in Recovery Act funding, dollars in addition to the regular federal education aid the town received.

In the days of earmarks, Tierney got the town $65,000 for the Swampscott Council on Aging to buy a van  — Fiscal 2000, according to his office.

In Fiscal 2004, he helped the town get $233,333 for the Summit Estates retirement community in Swampscott, according to his office.

Tierney said he had inquired about lobbyists' success securing grants for municipalities and heard it was limited.

At an earlier meeting two representatives from a Washington, D.C., lobbying firm told selectmen via conference call that they had been successful getting federal funds for clients outside the New England region.

The lobbysists said they have capable grant writers.

Tierney said that FEMA representatives would tell selectmen that their best advocate for winning grants is their congressman.

He also said that towns that had excellent grant writers tend to fare well winning federal grants.

 

The following information was provided by the congressman's office:

Here is the list of funding that Swampscott received as a result of the Recovery Act. 

 

Swampscott

1,160,000

EPA-CWSRF

Sewer UnderDrain/Storm Drain Improvements

Swampscott

51,451

ED-Title I (First 1/2)

Swampscott Public Schools

Swampscott

266,415

ED-IDEA (First 1/2)

Swampscott Public Schools

Swampscott

10,364

ED-Pre-K IDEA

Swampscott Public Schools

Swampscott

51,356

ED-Title I (2nd 1/2)

Swampscott Public Schools

Swampscott

265,920

ED-IDEA (2nd (1/2)

Swampscott Public Schools

SWAMPSCOTT TOTAL

1,805,506

 


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