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Work Session Memo <br />January 22, 2010 <br />Page 3 <br />He worked for former Sen. Dave Durenburger and has good insights into the <br />legislative/appropriations process. He suggested that New Brighton include key <br />community stakeholders (i.e. large employers, influential figures) in any lobbying effort. <br />Broad-based community support is an effective strategy in working with members of <br />Congress. He indicated that his firm is expensive and charges retainer fees between <br />$10,000 and $12,000 a month. Staff requested additional background information, but it <br />has not been provided at this point. <br />Tom Foley <br />PACE/Minnesota LLC Govemment Relations <br />St. Paul, MN and Washington, D.C. <br />John Milne <br />mCapitol Management <br />Washington, D.C. <br />Mr. Foley is a founding member of the PACE/Minnesota LLC Government Relations <br />Group, which has offices in St. Paul, MN and Washington, D.C. The firm also includes <br />two other partners, Jill Sletten and Kevin Quigley. In addition, PACE/Minnesota works <br />with the mCapitol Management firm on some legislative issues. John Milne is Senior <br />Vice President of mCapitol Mangement and his credentials are enclosed, as well. <br />At this point, my conversations have been with Tom Foley, so I don't have a full <br />understanding of the relationship and roles of each group. They did provide some <br />background information on the firms; however this did not include any information on <br />fees for service. Tom is out of the office until Tuesday, so I plan to follow-up with him <br />on some of the details. I hope to have more information at the work session. <br />Final Thoughts <br />Based on our experience over the last year and what others have shared, it is not <br />unusual for the process to take several years. We made some progress last year, <br />especially in the area of transportation projects (i.e. pedestrian bridge, Old Highway 8 <br />bridge), but no funding was received. If the City wants to continue this approach, we <br />should be prepared to make a commitment and have some continuity in representation, <br />with whoever that might be. <br />Second, the deadline/s for submitting requests as part of the FY 2011 appropriations <br />process begins in mid-February. The deadlines vary by Congressional office and <br />having local contacts in Washington, D.C. is critical. If a change is desired, it should be <br />soon so that staff can begin working with the new team in the next few weeks. <br />9 <br />