Revolving Doors & Ferries

The Press-Democrat out in California goes over how a private marina got Congress to give them $20 million in the Highway Bill. The marina wants to open high speed ferry service between San Francisco and Oakland from Sonoma. The local ferry authority doesn't think it's a good idea -- but lobbyists and lawyers who've been through political revolving doors disagree.

Here's how the marina go your money:

• Marina manager J.T. Wick and political consultant Jim Harberson went to Congress to ask for the money. Mr Harberson, by the way, is a former Sonoma County supervisor.
• They got some help from Santa Rosa lawyer Doug Bosco. He used to be a Congressman -- so he knows how the game's played on the Hill.
• So they were able to get a private audience with Rep Don Young (R-AK), Chairman of the House Transportation Committee.

The paper says:

Wick speculated that Young may have liked their idea because Alaska relies on ferries and because theirs was the only ferry presentation in a long line of presentations involving highway projects.

Oh, and there's a big ferry building industry in Alaska.

There you have it, do-it-yourself plans to get your own $20 million for a project local governments say are bad ideas. (Press-Democrat)