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2 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Prosecution: Defendant said he was sorry for stabbing ... Direct hit: Storm leaves destruction in its wake ... Range hopes to curb tracer bullets, fires ... Prosecution: Defendant said he was sorry for stabbing ... Direct hit: Storm leaves destruction in its wake ... Range hopes to curb tracer bullets, fires ... MEDFORD Medford council questions federal lobbyist contract Comment By Damian Mann Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Posted Jul. 3, 2015 at 3:24 PM By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Posted Jul. 3, 2015 at 3:24 PM » Social News Spending up to $100,000 a year to hire a Washington, D.C.,-based lobbyist doesn’t sit well with some Medford city councilors. “Do we want to continue with a federal lobbyist?” said Bill Hoke, city manager pro tem. “Is it worth what we’re paying?” The council, which discussed the issue Thursday, will be interviewing three lobbying firms on July 30 to help champion projects of interest to Medford, including opposing a casino proposal or supporting funding for the Interstate 5 viaduct renovation. After the interviews, the council may pick one of the firms to represent the city. The three proposals are from Keller McIntyre and Associates at $90,000, CFM Strategic Solutions at $64,800 and Van Scoyoc Associates at $72,000. The council debated canceling the interviews but decided it would be worth hearing the three proposals. Councilor Daniel Bunn said he might be more interested in hiring a lobbyist to deal with individual projects rather than hiring someone for an unspecified reason. “I would oppose a general lobbyist,” he said. Councilor Michael Zarosinski said he thought it would be better to hire a lobbyist only if a specific project needed support. Hoke told the council at a Thursday study session that he’d contacted other cities such as Tigard and Longview, Wash., and they told him it was beneficial having a general lobbyist. The lobbyists help bring in more dollars to a city than they cost, Hoke said For instance, sometimes transportation dollars are available in federal departments that most people aren’t aware of, such as Health and Human Services, he said. “They stick money in places nobody would think of looking for,” he said. Hoke said some cities said they had decided to go without a lobbyist for several years and regretted the decision. Medford formerly had used Smith West Business Consulting for its lobbying efforts but had sought proposals from other firms for a new contract. Mayor Gary Wheeler said he thought the city would be missing out on grants and other opportunities if it didn’t hire a firm to represent the city. “I’m a strong believer in having a federal presence,” he said. Councilor Dick Gordon said he was uncomfortable just looking at firms that appeared to have little experience with the private sector. “They’re totally public sector as far as I can tell,” he said. According to each of the companies’ websites, the firms do represent companies as well as nonprofit organizations and government entities. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 541-776-4476 or [email protected] . Follow on Twitter at @reporterdm .   By Damian Mann Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Posted Jul. 3, 2015 at 3:24 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501