Mitt Romney’s Beachfront Mansion Has Its Own Lobbyist
Now, Politico reports that the home comes with a unique feature: Its own lobbyist. It turns out it can be difficult to get the city to approve a new 11,000-square-foot house with its own car elevators, so to help facilitate the construction, Romney hired San Diego attorney and registered lobbyist Matthew Peterson, paying him $21,500 since 2008. Reid Epstein reports:
Peterson, according to the biography on his the website of his law firm, Peterson & Price, A.P.C., is a “registered lobbyist” for clients on real-estate matters. His practice “emphasizes municipal and governmental advocacy” for clients seeking building permits, “property development entitlements” and “zoning violation matters.” [...]
Listed on Peterson’s client disclosure forms as “Willard Romney,” the former Massachusetts governor paid Peterson to lobby four San Diego city officials: the project manager responsible for the planned construction, an assistant city attorney and two engineers.
Epstein reports that it’s “fairly routine” for people to hire lobbyists for “any major construction project,” given the complicated approval process and the fact that “anyone who contacts city officials or their staff regarding such a project must register as a lobbyist.”
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2012/03/27/452542/mitt-romney-mansion-lobbyist/
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