Adele Ferguson

WELL, I GUESS Associated Press got tired of the national scandals that have occupied the headlines for awhile and decided to stir up the local pot instead.

It decided to find out how much and to whom lobbyists were spreading good will in the form of free meals, drinks and golf outings for our state legislators. With the aid of some public radio stations, it perused the spending reports of the 50 lobbyists with the fattest expense accounts for the first four months of the year which means while the Legislature was in session.

REPORTS to the state Public Disclosure Commission on who was wined and dined are required if the cost was over $50 per person although most lobbyists didn’t break it down to individuals but gave totals. The overall total for the period of the survey was over $65,000, and the No. I recipient was Sen. Doug Ericksen, R-Ferndale, who had $2,029.30 spent on him. The private dinners enabled him to learn more about issues, he said.

I note there was no part of the report in the papers that said any of the persons wined and dined declined to accept his or her $90 per diem expense money we taxpayers provide each lawmaker during sessions. That’s to cover food and lodging, of course.

I date back to the good old days of anything goes. There used to be lobbyist-hosted cocktail parties and receptions almost every evening so you could either surf around for the best one or stop by each that you knew about and sample all the goodies. Legislative staffers and the media were famous for crashing the parties, invited or not, but nobody ever threw you out. The way to work the trap line was to go where the biggest crowd was in hopes of lining up a host lawmaker who would invite you to have dinner after this party broke up and after he had lined up a host lobbyist..

THIS WAS TRICKY business. You had to avoid eating the buffet to keep from spoiling your appetite for a possible dinner, but in case no possible host appeared, you had to keep an eye on how much food was left or you’d wind up going hungry.

The most aggravating thing was when you finally accepted you’d have to make do with the scraps left at the buffet table and were forcing down the last cold meat ball or deviled egg and someone came up and asked if you were free for dinner.

There used to be two senators (no names) , one of whom became a supreme court justice, who were famous for their prodigious appetites, sated at tremendous cost to lobbyists. It was perilous to a lobbyist’s wallet to invite them to dinner together, which they enjoyed and often brought along six or eight friends. One memorable night, they were being hosted at a restaurant where the specialty was rack of lamb for two for $75 or so, intended for couples, of course. Senator No. 1 said, “I’ll have the lamb.” Senator No.2 said “I’ll have Lamb also.” Not together, sharing. Each.

WHEN BOB GRIEVE was Senate majority leader, there was a bill that came up every session but never passed, Why? I asked. The bill, I was told, was good for meals all throughout the session which would not be the case if they passed it.

Lobbyists also looked out for each other. If one saw one of his cohorts stuck with a big party of freebies he hadn’t counted on, he’d send a note to the trapped host and offer to pay for half of them.

Boeing was the most lavish host, plenty of caviar, roast beef, chocolate covered strawberries. The commercial fishermen put on a great spread, all kinds of seafood. The “gangsters,” i.e. the pinball people, once invited a half dozen of us media types for a soiree where they cooked Italian and we sang around the piano. Lobbyists? I love ‘em.

(Adele Ferguson can be reached at P.O. Box 69, I-lansville, Wa., 98340.)