A Glastonbury lobbyist has been fined $10,000 – money he won’t have to pay it if he abides by other sanctions after he was found to have tied his compensation to the outcome of his lobbying work, state ethics authorities say.
“Contingency fees are prohibited to prevent lobbyists from exerting ‘improper influence’on public officials by inducing such officials to act on any basis other than the merits of the matter,” Office of State Ethics Executive Director Carol Carson said Wednesday in a statement announcing the enforcement action.
Lobbyist Robert Silverberg, sole principal of Morris | London LLC, can avoid paying the penalty if he satisfies terms of eight injunctive sanctions over the next five to 10 years, the office said.
Among other things, Silverberg for five years must get written permission from the ethics office before entering into any lobbying contract that puts him in contact with any state public official or state employee. He must keep written records of all written communications sent to any public official or state employee, regardless of lobbying intent or not.
For 10 years Silverberg must present copies and seek written guidance concerning certain contracts prior to entering into such contracts with the Office of State Ethics. Silverberg must annually provide a list of all clients for a decade; and he must provide a copy to a state ethics enforcement officer of each contract that contemplates any payments that are contingent upon the outcome of any state governmental action, the agency said.
Finally, he must attend at least one training session annually for five years conducted by the Office of State Ethics regarding its ethics code for lobbyists.
Silverberg did not immediately respond Wednesday to a request for comment.
