Data fuels the state’s initiative to monitor the legions of lobbyists who descend on Hartford. Whether it is how much lobbyists are being paid, who they are representing, or how the money is spent, the Office of State Ethics is there to track it.
But while lobbyists are forced to adhere to strict standards and fined when they fail to fall into line, there are no checks on the data the Office of State Ethics makes public on its Web site.
It is an interesting dichotomy – lobbyists and organizations are penalized for wrong information, while incorrect data can remain on a state Web site for all to see for months or even years.
Several lobbyists have expressed disappointment that data provided on the state ethics’ Web site was inaccurate, sometimes to extremes.
To the surprise of Marc DiBella, a lobbyist with Avallone, DiBella & Associates that represents Live Nation, the ethics Web site indicated that Live Nation, which operates the Chevrolet Theater in Wallingford, was among the businesses that spent the most on lobbying in the state. According to the financials posted on the ethics’ Web site this summer, the amount Live Nation spent on lobbying had skyrocketed.
Wrong.
“There was a pretty sizeable mistake that had us making hundreds of thousands of dollars,” DiBella said. “It was a big typo. It wasn’t even close.”
Usual Gripe
The inaccuracy of the lobbyist online data has been a common complaint from lobbyists since the agency updated its Web site this past summer. At that time, the agency posted three years’ worth of information in huge PDF files that were hundreds of pages long. It can be a difficult process.
Regardless, the lobbyists are perturbed.
“There are a lot of problems with the ethics’ data,” DiBella said. “They have company’s names wrong, they have the wrong people associated with different companies, and it’s all kind of screwed up.”
There is a simple message DiBella wants to get across: “Don’t believe everything you read on the Web site.”
Other lobbyists found errors that one would assume could be fixed in a manner of seconds.
“The one thing I’ve seen a lot happens is when a client relationship has been terminated,” said David McQuade with Murtha Cullina LLP. “You could have a termination, yet it sits on the site for two or three years.”
Part of the problem is the lack of checks and balances from lobbyists because they do not frequently search the site.
“To be honest, I haven’t really perused the information in a while,” McQuade said.
The extent of McQuade’s visits to the Web site is for updated advisory opinions that the ethics commission makes.
What makes the lobbyist complaints so interesting is how intently the Office of State Ethics goes after organizations and companies that do not provide timely, correct information.
Earlier this month, four organizations were fined for failing to submit their reports for the second quarter on time.
AFT Connecticut and the Connecticut Library Association were each fined $100, the Connecticut Propane Coalition was hit with a $610 fine, and ConnPIRG was forced to pay $640.
Clearly, those within the state ethics office have heard the complaints.
The response: We are trying to fix the problems.
“I know that if, for example, a lobbyist calls with a complaint, we do our best to troubleshoot,” said Barbara Housen, general counsel for the office. “We do have an IT consultant and we see if that issue can be resolved quickly.”
The solution may come in the form of a permanent executive director that could be in place by the end of the year.
“This is a topic that is very important and we know it needs to be addressed,” Housen said. “The statute now requires electronic filing so there will be a more comprehensive plan soon.”
Sean O’Leary is a Hartford Business Journal staff writer.