In defense of lobbyists at the Minnesota Legislature

For the most part, my experience of lobbyists (and, in full disclosure, I was a registered lobbyist for almost a decade) are good ones. For the most part, they are open and friendly, and they share information. They help each other out. They’re competitive sometimes, sure, but they also know that your opponent on one bill could be your ally on the next, so there’s a sincere effort to act in good faith and not burn bridges. As a group, lobbyists are the least likely to have public stress-induced blowups. And, since credibility is currency, I’ve found them to be the most consistently truthful group of people in the State Capitol. (Seriously — lobbyists in Minnesota know that lying can end your career.)

Every year there are efforts to ban former legislators from transitioning into lobbying after they leave office. While critics frame it as “cashing in” on their service, the reality is more nuanced. Salaries and per diem hover around $60,000 per year for rank and file legislators — hardly sustainable long-term, especially given the year-round demands of the role. (Minnesota technically has a part-time “citizen Legislature” which means many have outside jobs. But many find it difficult to juggle both, and having outside employment can lead to questions of conflicts of interest, as we saw this year.) It’s unrealistic to expect people who choose to be public servants for a time to indefinitely cap their earnings at this level.

Beyond salary considerations, many former lawmakers become lobbyists just to stay connected to the work and the relationships they nurtured at the Capitol. They care about issues and don’t want to walk away from those efforts — especially for complex problems that take decades to solve. And, as some will tell you, they actually have way less power and access as a lobbyist than they did as a legislator.

Minnesota’s lobbyists aren’t shadowy figures manipulating policy for personal gain. They are professionals, advocates and community members working within a highly regulated framework to ensure that decisionmakers have the information they need to craft effective policy. Just as your favorite piece of legislation had legislative champions, there’s surely a lobbyist in that effort who helped get it over the finish line.

Let’s start talking about lobbyists as assets, not enemies — and maybe start including them in the thank you speeches too.

Shannon Watson, of Minneapolis, is founder and executive director of Majority in the Middle.