IndyCar foes: Mayor’s lobbyist tracking too late
Opponents of the failed Boston IndyCar race say Mayor Martin J. Walsh’s proposed lobbyist tracking system is too little, too late.
Felicity Lingle of the Coalition Against IndyCar Boston told the City Council yesterday the system would have exposed ex-Walsh campaign staffers working for IndyCar, trading on their access to Walsh, and who had equity in the race, as first reported by the Herald.
“In our view, such transparency would have led to better public policy decisions regarding the race,” Lingle said, “and perhaps it would have deterred approval for the race, thereby saving the city’s residents and businesses from the ongoing fallout of the debacle.”
IndyCar Boston filed for the bankruptcy protection three months after the race collapsed last year, leaving ticket-holders in the lurch.
Walsh first proposed tracking city hall lobbying last January, after scrutiny of his office’s dealings with a former law partner of Eugene O’Flaherty, the city’s corporation counsel. A Boston Globe report found Sean T. O’Donovan secured meetings with city officials to pitch his clients’ products.
In the first council hearing on the proposal, Council President Michelle Wu questioned why it is a home rule petition — requiring Beacon Hill’s sign off and exposing it to delays — instead of a local ordinance.
“It’s just a lengthier process, gets other levels of government involved, when we can act solely within our jurisdiction,” Wu said. “I say we should speed up the process and exercise the authority that we have.”
Walsh spokeswoman Nicole Caravella said an executive order could not include enforcement mechanisms — such as a three-person commission appointed by the mayor and approved by the council — and could not cover lobbying of the quasiindependent Boston Planning & Development Agency.
“Mayor Walsh has prioritized bringing openness to city government and he is proud to have filed a proposal that will make municipal lobbying efforts public for the first time in the city’s history,” Caravella said.
Walsh’s proposal defines lobbying as “an attempt to influence the decision of a city employee via direct communication, including phone, email or in-person,” and requires lobbyists to register with the city and report their activities.