Enough to flood the Broward County Commission yesterday with lobbyists in an attempt to influence Tuesday’s scheduled vote on who will get a disposal contract.
Thousands of dollars worth of lobbying fees spent in just one day!
This is just the latest chapter in the attempt by Sun/Bergeron to smash Wheelabrator Technologies’ decades-long monopoly on solid waste disposal.
Sun/Bergeron is a joint venture between Southern Waste Systems and entrepreneur Ron Bergeron. Wheelabrator is a subsidiary of the international garbage titan, Waste Management.
Businessman Ron Bergeron and his lobbyist girlfriend Ali Waldman in last-minute push for garbage contract
So both sides have plenty of money to spend on this fight over a contract that is worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Today’s electronic sign-in list at the Government Center is below. There are other folks, like Sheriff AlLamberti, who did get to see commissioners today.
But most of those signing in were involved in the garbage fight.
Commissioners have been lobbied heavily for over a year by some of the highest paid lobbyists along the Gold Coast. They include Broward Democratic State Committeeman Mike Moskowitz, who works for Waste Management and is not on today’s sign on sheet.
Democratic State Committeeman Mike Moskowitz lobbying for Waste Management
So here is today’s lobbying you are paying for in your garbage bills:
Anthony Spadaccia
Bill Roberts
Principal/Employer: Waste Management
Client:
Meeting-Agenda ItemAgenda Item:
30
05/08/2012
4
Chip LaMarca
05/07/2012
04:14 PM
Tracy M RoloffPrincipal/Employer: Broward Cultural Council
Client:
Meeting-Other – provide specific detail
Review of Cultural Council goals and initiatives.
4
Chip LaMarca
05/07/2012
04:07 PM
Charlene DesirPrincipal/Employer:
Client:
Meeting-Other – provide specific detail
Caribbean Teacher’s Guide
9
Dale V. C. Holness
05/07/2012
04:01 PM
Zolena BrattonPrincipal/Employer:
Client:
Meeting-Other – provide specific detail
State Rep. District 102
8
Barbara Sharief
05/07/2012
03:59 PM
Melvin BrattonPrincipal/Employer: City of Miami Gardens (Former Council Member)
Client:
Meeting-Other – provide specific detail
State Rep.
8
Barbara Sharief
05/07/2012
03:57 PM
Anthea M PennantPrincipal/Employer: Feeding South Florida
Client:
Meeting-Other – provide specific detail
4
Chip LaMarca
05/07/2012
03:27 PM
William B RobertsPrincipal/Employer: Wheelabrator
Client:
Meeting-Agenda ItemAgenda Item:
30, 31
05/08/2012
4
Chip LaMarca
05/07/2012
03:15 PM
William B RobertsPrincipal/Employer: Wheelabrator
Client:
Meeting-Agenda ItemAgenda Item:
30, 31
05/08/2012
6
Sue Gunzburger
05/07/2012
03:14 PM
carmen morrisPrincipal/Employer:
Client:
Meeting-Other – provide specific detail
introductory
9
Dale V. C. Holness
05/07/2012
02:42 PM
Carl W Laystrom
Jodie Siegal
Bill Roberts
Principal/Employer: Doumar, Allsworth, Laystrom et al.
Client: Waste Management
LaMarca campaigned on never being lobbied at his office and cowtowing to lobbiests. I guess the business oweners making the pitch is different. Ah what the heck Chip is trying to become a lobbyist now, so he needs to learn the ropes.
I notice Bernie Friedman and all the lobbyists did not sign in for LaMarca, if appears only the company folks signed-in for him. Is this a mistake or didn’t he meet with them?
Look at the skater like roaches when the lights come on!
The commission needs to send this out and open the bidding process to all companies… I hope at least one of them has the guts to vote that way tomorrow?!?!?
I sure wish I could be a sell-out like Chip. Then I could get all my new lobbyist friends to give me work and help me stay in office. Even though I’m the only Republican, I am the same whore as the Democrats.
Only 6 years ago Judy Stern had her hand in electing the majority of the Commission. Back then she would have been the first lady (as Lieberman was the Queen of Trash) of this trash lobby. Now? Nowhere to be seen.
Lost Jim Scott
Sold out Rodstrom
Joe Eggs in prison
the list goes from there
No one even hires her for Wexler’s vote.
Hey it gives her more time to get Mancini elected to SAO.
the state ethics office ruled negative on his proposed side job consultancy getting gov’t clients. a formal complaint to broward OIG will be made if he does not abide by rules. either way he is a likely one termer and it didn’t take long for his extreme opportunistic tendencies to be exposed. he is no different than the other 8 on the dais regardless of posturing. Stayed tuned for mtg today!
This is about breaking up a monopoly. We need to give municipalities a choice. Residents need to be given choices. The residents are smart people if they would lay it all out on the table and let us study the options we would form an opinion and voice our choice.
READ IT AGAIN: Chip Lamarca is the only commissioner who DID NOT meet with the lobbyists. He met with the company owners/employees, but not the lobbyists.
Get it Right. What is the difference being lobbied by an employee of a company and a lobbyist? It is not like Bill Roberts owns Waste Management. If you believe LaMarca never met with lobbyists for both groups previously or that lobbyists already in the offices and signed in for others and walked in on his meeting with Roberts, you are naive.
Seriously, I wish I was???? No need to hate on LaMarca. If you would Get the facts right before making accusations, LaMarca does no meet with lobbyists, look at the lobbyist registration no lobbyist signed in to meet with him. And as for your comment about lobbyists meeting with LaMarca after signing in for someone else, they can’t do that. Staff have to walk people from their offices to the front lobby.
Also I wish, an employee of a company knows their business better than a lobbyist, that is why LaMarca does not meet with lobbyists. I’m sorry the company didn’t send the owner of wheelabrator down they sent as you see about a vice president.
la marca stated at morning mtg he supported option C going out to bid all over. wonder why the change of heart? I’ll bet he knows citizens all over county are paying attention to see who on dais is really looking out for their wallets for the next 20 years or however long this contract will be. maybe he wants to show he is a good rep so he can get re-elected in 2014? rodstrom, lieberman, gunzburger and jacobs are all gone after the current terms so they only have to worry about bigger stage and ambitions if they have them. they wring their hands over how they can’t go out to street and get it done by July 2013. BS. if they stopped dragging their feet and running down the clock this could be done by end of the year. we only need 5 votes for common sense from the dais on this. Can we get that this afternoon??
@Citizen. LaMarca never flip-flopped he has always said he wanted this to go out to bid. Go back and look, he said e wants this to be an open process.
When he voted to move forward a month ago, he did so saying because it was a dual track see what the 2 companies come back with and to draft an RFP to go out.
I have been watching the commission meeting today and he said today, he could not support the companies, because he believed the county could get a lower price.
Wow-who knew there was this much interest($$) in trash. Some of these lobbyist like dress to the nines used car sales man. See right threw alot of them. Go get them guys. Some of you Commissioners how can you stand some of them???
As a county commissioner, Chip has an obligation to meet with company representatives when they request an audience, or if he needs to better understand an issue. Let’s not get our panties in a knot.
That said, this whole issue over the ethics review, which he requested in advance, does concern me. Even the appearance of conflict of interest should have scared him away.
May 7th, 2012 at 7:53 pm
Bergeron has enough money!
May 7th, 2012 at 9:45 pm
LaMarca campaigned on never being lobbied at his office and cowtowing to lobbiests. I guess the business oweners making the pitch is different. Ah what the heck Chip is trying to become a lobbyist now, so he needs to learn the ropes.
May 8th, 2012 at 12:34 am
Buddy,
I notice Bernie Friedman and all the lobbyists did not sign in for LaMarca, if appears only the company folks signed-in for him. Is this a mistake or didn’t he meet with them?
May 8th, 2012 at 12:38 am
Look at the skater like roaches when the lights come on!
The commission needs to send this out and open the bidding process to all companies… I hope at least one of them has the guts to vote that way tomorrow?!?!?
May 8th, 2012 at 7:40 am
I sure wish I could be a sell-out like Chip. Then I could get all my new lobbyist friends to give me work and help me stay in office. Even though I’m the only Republican, I am the same whore as the Democrats.
May 8th, 2012 at 7:57 am
Only 6 years ago Judy Stern had her hand in electing the majority of the Commission. Back then she would have been the first lady (as Lieberman was the Queen of Trash) of this trash lobby. Now? Nowhere to be seen.
Lost Jim Scott
Sold out Rodstrom
Joe Eggs in prison
the list goes from there
No one even hires her for Wexler’s vote.
Hey it gives her more time to get Mancini elected to SAO.
May 8th, 2012 at 8:55 am
the state ethics office ruled negative on his proposed side job consultancy getting gov’t clients. a formal complaint to broward OIG will be made if he does not abide by rules. either way he is a likely one termer and it didn’t take long for his extreme opportunistic tendencies to be exposed. he is no different than the other 8 on the dais regardless of posturing. Stayed tuned for mtg today!
May 8th, 2012 at 9:21 am
This is about breaking up a monopoly. We need to give municipalities a choice. Residents need to be given choices. The residents are smart people if they would lay it all out on the table and let us study the options we would form an opinion and voice our choice.
May 8th, 2012 at 10:21 am
READ IT AGAIN: Chip Lamarca is the only commissioner who DID NOT meet with the lobbyists. He met with the company owners/employees, but not the lobbyists.
May 8th, 2012 at 11:14 am
Get it Right. What is the difference being lobbied by an employee of a company and a lobbyist? It is not like Bill Roberts owns Waste Management. If you believe LaMarca never met with lobbyists for both groups previously or that lobbyists already in the offices and signed in for others and walked in on his meeting with Roberts, you are naive.
May 8th, 2012 at 11:24 am
I still say Bergeron Has Too Much Money!!
May 8th, 2012 at 12:11 pm
Seriously, I wish I was???? No need to hate on LaMarca. If you would Get the facts right before making accusations, LaMarca does no meet with lobbyists, look at the lobbyist registration no lobbyist signed in to meet with him. And as for your comment about lobbyists meeting with LaMarca after signing in for someone else, they can’t do that. Staff have to walk people from their offices to the front lobby.
Get over yourself I wish!!!!
May 8th, 2012 at 12:13 pm
Also I wish, an employee of a company knows their business better than a lobbyist, that is why LaMarca does not meet with lobbyists. I’m sorry the company didn’t send the owner of wheelabrator down they sent as you see about a vice president.
May 8th, 2012 at 1:45 pm
la marca stated at morning mtg he supported option C going out to bid all over. wonder why the change of heart? I’ll bet he knows citizens all over county are paying attention to see who on dais is really looking out for their wallets for the next 20 years or however long this contract will be. maybe he wants to show he is a good rep so he can get re-elected in 2014? rodstrom, lieberman, gunzburger and jacobs are all gone after the current terms so they only have to worry about bigger stage and ambitions if they have them. they wring their hands over how they can’t go out to street and get it done by July 2013. BS. if they stopped dragging their feet and running down the clock this could be done by end of the year. we only need 5 votes for common sense from the dais on this. Can we get that this afternoon??
May 8th, 2012 at 2:39 pm
@Citizen. LaMarca never flip-flopped he has always said he wanted this to go out to bid. Go back and look, he said e wants this to be an open process.
When he voted to move forward a month ago, he did so saying because it was a dual track see what the 2 companies come back with and to draft an RFP to go out.
I have been watching the commission meeting today and he said today, he could not support the companies, because he believed the county could get a lower price.
May 8th, 2012 at 4:19 pm
Wow-who knew there was this much interest($$) in trash. Some of these lobbyist like dress to the nines used car sales man. See right threw alot of them. Go get them guys. Some of you Commissioners how can you stand some of them???
May 8th, 2012 at 4:45 pm
Who is going to hire a Republican consultant to lobby Democratic City officials anyhow?
May 8th, 2012 at 9:28 pm
As a county commissioner, Chip has an obligation to meet with company representatives when they request an audience, or if he needs to better understand an issue. Let’s not get our panties in a knot.
That said, this whole issue over the ethics review, which he requested in advance, does concern me. Even the appearance of conflict of interest should have scared him away.