HomeMy WebLinkAbout07/24/2018 02 Potential Olympia LobbyistTeams - InterviewsITEM TITLE:
SUBMITTED BY:
BUSINESS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
YAKIMA, WASHINGTON
AGENDA STATEMENT
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Item No. 2.
For Meeting of: July 24, 2018
Interviews of Potential Olympia Lobbyist Teams
Randy Beehler, Communications & Public Affairs Director
SUMMARY EXPLANATION:
In October 2017, the City's longtime Olympia lobbyist, Jim Justin, notified the City that a conflict
of interest would prevent him from continuing to represent the City. An ad-hoc committee of the
Council evaluated potential replacement lobbyists and recommended to the full Council that the
City enter into a contract with the team of Sermonti Government Relations -Public Affairs and
Northwest Advocates Political Consultants for a term not to exceed nine months. A majority of
the Council agreed with the committee's recommendation and, furthermore, directed City staff to
conduct a Request for Proposals ("RFP") process in the spring of 2018 to identify a
lobbyist/lobbyist team to provide state and administrative advocacy services to the City on a
longer-term basis.
In late March 2018, an RFP (RFP No. 11813P)was issued. At its May 11 th meeting, the Council
Partnerships Committee (Mendez, Coffey, Hill), which is responsible for evaluating and making
recommendations to the full Council regarding legislative affairs, unanimously recommended the
full Council conduct interviews with the three lobbyist teams that submitted proposals in response
to the RFP.
The full Council will conduct interviews with the three lobbyist teams during its July 24th study
session, which will take place from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm in the Council Chambers at City Hall.
ITEM BUDGETED:
Yes
STRATEGIC PRIORITY: Partnership Development
APPROVED FOR
SUBMITTAL:
Acting City Manager
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STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
N/A
BOARD/COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION:
The Council Partnerships Committee unanimously recommended at its
May ll, 2018 meeting that the full Council conduct interviews with the three lobbyists teams that
submitted proposals in response to RFP No. 11813P.
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Upload Date Type
Memorandum - July 24th Olympia Lobbyists InterNiews
7;16./2018 Cover Memo
Study Session
• Selection e b Agreernent 7/13/2018 Cover Memo
• RFP No, 11813P 7/13/2018 Cover Memo
O Team 1 - Dad Foster and Lyset C.adena - Proposal 7/13/2018 Cover Memo
CI Team 2 - Nick Federici and Luke Esser - Proposal 7/112018 Cover Memo
O Team 3 - Tony Sermonti and Susie Tracy - Proposal 7/13/2018 Co\,,er Memo
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RAN
DUNI
To: Yakima City Council
From: Communications & Public Affairs Director Randy Beehler
Subject: Olympia Lobbyist Interview Study Session
Date: Thursday, July 19th, 2018
Council members,
In October 2017, the City's longtime Olympia lobbyist, Jim Justin, notified the City that a conflict of
interest would prevent him from continuing to represent the City. An ad-hoc committee of the Council
evaluated potential replacement lobbyists and recommended to the full Council that the City enter into a
contract with the team of Sermonti Government Relations -Public Affairs and Northwest Advocates
Political Consultants for a term not to exceed nine months. A majority of the Council agreed with the
committee's recommendation and, furthermore, directed City staff to conduct a Request for Proposals
("RFP") process in the spring of 2018 to identify a lobbyist/lobbyist team to provide state and
administrative advocacy services to the City on a longer-term basis.
In late March 2018, an RFP (RFP No. 11813P) was issued. At its May 11th meeting, the Council
Partnerships Committee (Mendez, Coffey, Hill), which is responsible for evaluating and making
recommendations to the full Council regarding legislative affairs, unanimously recommended the full
Council conduct interviews with the three lobbyist teams that submitted proposals in response to the
RFP.
The full Council will conduct interviews with the three lobbyist teams during its July 24th study session,
which will take place from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm in the Council Chambers at City Hall.
In accordance with RFP protocols, the July 24th interviews with the lobbyist teams will represent
a competitive process in which each team will be scored individually by each Council member
based on a standard set of questions and according to an established scoring criteria. The
lobbyist team with the highest cumulative score will be offered a contract to provide state
legislative and administrative advocacy services for the City.
The Council packets for the July 24th study session include:
1. A "Selection Committee Member Agreement" (which must be signed prior to the start of
interviews)
2. RFP No. 11813P
3. The proposal from Cadena Consulting and Foster Government Relations
4. The proposal from Luke Esser, Attorney & Government Affairs and Nick Federici
Government Relations
5. The proposal from Sermonti Government Relations -Public Affairs and Northwest Advocates
Political Consultants
At the July 24th study session, the following will be provided:
1. A list of eight (8) standard questions that will be asked, in order, of each lobbyist team (brief
follow up questions are allowed, but no questions other than the standard questions may be
asked).
2. Scoring sheets for each lobbyist team
3. A cumulative scoring sheet for all lobbyist teams
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The agenda for the July 24th study session will be as follows:
- 10:00 am to 10:10 am — Introduction and process explanation
- 10:10 am to 10:35 am — Cadena Consulting & Foster Government Relations interview
- 10:40 am to 11:05 am — Luke Esser, Attorney & Government Affairs and Nick Federici Government
Relations interview
- 11:10 am to 11:35 am — Sermonti Government Relations -Public Affairs and Northwest Advocates
Political Consultants interview
- 11:40 am to 12:00 pm — Scoring and wrap up
Once the interviews are completed, the cumulative scores of Council members will be tallied. Again, an
RFP process utilizes a competitive model. The lobbyist team with the highest cumulative score will be
offered a contract to provide state legislative and administrative advocacy services for the City.
Please let me know if you have any questions or need additional information regarding this issue prior
to the July 24th Council study session.
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RFP 11813P State Legislative & Administrative Advocacy
SELECTION COMMITTEE MEMBER AGREEMENT
In consideration of being allowed to serve on the Selection Committee described below, I,
, hereby agree that:
(Printed Name)
1. I am a member of the Selection Committee evaluating proposals submitted to the City of Yakima
in response to the above listed RFP.
2. I will not communicate with others outside of the Selection Committee on the nature or content of
the written proposals, product demonstrations, interviews, the evaluation proceedings, the
deliberations of the Selection Committee, or individual opinions about the proposers or the
project. Proposals and the identity of the proposers will be held in confidence through the
evaluation processes.
3. I understand and agree that I do not have a conflict of interest of a financial, relational, or other
nature with any of the firms or key personnel of any of the firms I will be evaluating, and that
there is no perception or appearance of such a conflict of interest that could arise. I further
agree that no member of my immediate family has any such conflict of interest. "Immediate
family" means a spouse or domestic partner, child, child of a spouse or domestic partner, sibling,
sibling of a domestic partner, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, parent, parent of a spouse or domestic
partner, a person for whom I am a legal guardian, or a person claimed as a dependent on my
most recently filed federal income tax return.
4. If I have any reason to contact any proposer participating in this solicitation, even if the matter is
not directly or indirectly related to this project, I will immediately divulge the nature and reason of
the contact to the City of Yakima Purchasing Manager.
5. I have a professional interest in ensuring the results of the Committee's evaluation are legally
supportable and defensible.
6. I have a professional interest in ensuring the final recommendation of the Committee can and
will lead to the selection of a vendor who can and will provide services with will be acceptable
and in the best interest of the City of Yakima.
7. I am not employed by, nor do I have an arrangement for future employment with, any
organization under consideration, nor will I solicit or accept gratuities, favors, or anything of
monetary value from any organization associated with this selection.
I disclose the following information:
Signature: Date:
Conflict of interest_ Confidentiality Statement.doc
CITY OF YAKIMA
Request for Proposals
No. 11813P
kt:
STATE LEGISLATIVE AND ADMINISTRATIVE
ADVOCACY SERVICES
March 26, 2018
Page 1
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Notice to Proposers
Request for Proposals No. 11813P
Notice is hereby given by the undersigned that sealed Requests for Proposals will be accepted in the
office of the Yakima City Clerk, Yakima City Hall, 129 N. 2nd Street, Yakima, Washington 98901 until
the hour of 3:00 PM, April 13, 2018 and Respondents names will be publicly read for:
State Legislative and Administrative Advocacy Services
Request for Proposal Packets are available from the city's website at
.yakimawa.govlservices/purchasing or in the office of the Purchasing Manager, City Hall, Yakima,
Washington. 509-575-6093 .
The City of Yakima reserves the right to reject any and all RFP's. The City hereby notifies all Proposers
that it will affirmatively ensure compliance with WA State Law Against Discrimination (RCW chapter
49.60) & the Americans with Disabilities Act (42 USC 12101 et set.)
Dated this ------ day of ------, 2018
Publish on
Sue Ownby, CPPO
Purchasing Manager
Acct #
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Notice to Proposers
1. Introduction 4
2. Pricing 4
3. Definitions 4
4. RFP Administration 5
5. Agency Background 5
6. Proposal Due Date 6
7. Proposal Changes or Withdrawal 6
8. Consultant Qualification Requirements 7
9. Proposal Content Instructions 7
10. Scope of Services 8
11. Evaluation by Analysis Committee 9
12. Post Evaluation Events 10
13. Applicants Cost to Develop Qualification Packet 10
ATTACHMENT A - Sample Professional Services Agreement 11
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CITY OF YAKIMA
RFP NO. 11813P
STATE LEGISLATIVE AND ADMINISTRATIVE ADVOCACY SERVICES
1. INTRODUCTION:
The City of Yakima seeks a highly motivated and qualified consultant or consultant team to plan,
develop, coordinate, and implement a strategy to advocate for the City's interests at the highest
levels in the State of Washington through the Office of the Governor, the state legislature, and
state agencies. Specifically, the consultant or consultant team will provide the City Council and
City staff with the ability to navigate through the executive and legislative branches of state
government and through the myriad state agencies in order to efficiently and effectively promote
and accomplish identified objectives related to proposed, pending, and enacted legislation,
rulemaking, and regulations. The consultant or consultant team will also assist the City in
identifying potential state resources and in securing state funding to support City projects,
initiatives, and programs.
2. PRICING:
One of the areas on which proposals will be evaluated is the cost of services. Pricing
should be quoted as specific hourly rates, based upon a menu of service options
impacting the monthly fee.
3. DEFINITIONS:
A. City The City of Yakima, Washington, and its departments.
B. Applicant The person or firm submitting the proposal.
C. RFP The Request for Proposals, including any
amendments or other addenda hereto. In case of
conflict between the RFP and exhibits, the RFP
governs.
D. Selection Committee The RFP Selection Committee is comprised of the
RFP Coordinator (named in section 4) and other City
staff.
4. RFP ADMINISTRATION:
Upon release of this RFP, all applicant communication should be directed in writing to
the RFP Coordinator listed below. Any oral communications with other City employees
will be considered unofficial and non-binding on the City.
A. RFP Coordinator: The RFP Coordinator is:
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Sue Ownby, Purchasing Manager
City of Yakima
129 No. 2nd Street
Yakima, WA 98901
Ph: 509-576-6695 Email: sue.ownby@yakimawa.gov
B. Preliminary RFP Schedule
RFP Released
Proposals Due
Letters emailed to
shortlisted applicants
In- Person Interviews
Recommendation of Award
Proposed Start Date
Date
March 26, 2018
April 13 at 3:00 P.M.
By April 23, 2012
Week of May 7-11
May 15, 2018
September 1, 2018
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For the City of Yakima's own best interest, the City Manager reserves the right to accept
or reject any proposals, to waive any minor irregularities in any proposals and may
award contracts to more than one consultant or consultant team.
5. AGENCY BACKGROUND:
Yakima has been the cultural, business, educational, health services, and governmental
focal point of the Central Washington region since it was founded more than 125 years
ago. Yakima has deep agricultural roots and while it still relies on the ag industry to
drive its economy, over 250 manufacturing firms are located in the area and produce a
variety of products including aircraft parts, wood products, plastic products, recreational
vehicles, and communications technology. Healthcare also plays a large role in
Yakima's economy. Five hospitals and over 400 physicians covering 36 specialties are
located in the area. Tourism is the fastest growing segment of the Yakima economy.
More than 70 wineries are located in the Yakima Valley and regularly draw visitors to
sample and buy internationally renowned varietals. The Yakima Valley is also home to
more than 75% of all of the hops grown in the United States and is well regarded as a
craft beer destination. The area also boasts outstanding outdoor recreational
opportunities including water and snow skiing, fishing, boating, hiking, horseback riding,
and white water rafting.
With a population of about 94,000, Yakima is the largest city in Yakima County and the
11th largest city in Washington State. Most of the people who founded Yakima were of
European decent, although significant numbers of African-Americans and Asian -
Americans homesteaded in the area well. Relatively recently, the Yakima Valley has
experienced a large influx of Latino immigrants, which now accounts for approximately
50% of the population in Yakima County. The average sales price for a home in the
Yakima area is about $192,000. The median family income is about $46,000.
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Yakima is a full-service city and is governed by a seven -member city council operating
within the council-manager form of government. The City's 2018 General Government
budget is approximately $78 million and its total 2018 budget (including utilities and
other enterprise funds) is approximately $240 million.
6. PROPOSAL DUE DATE:
Each proposer should verify that it has received all addenda to this RFP by direct
inquiry to the City Contact Person before submitting proposals.
One original proposal, with SIX (6) complete copies, shall be sealed and must be
delivered no later than 3:00:00 P.M. PST, April 13, 2018 to:
City of Yakima
Clerks Office
129 No. 2nd St.
Yakima, WA 98901
Proposal packages must be marked: RFP No. 11318P, State Legislative and
Administrative Advocacy Services
QUALIFICATIONS RECEIVED AFTER THE DUE DATE ABOVE WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE
FOR CONSIDERATION. THE DEADLINE WILL BE STRICTLY ADHERED TO. LATE
PROPOSALS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. Proposals, which do not include all requested
information, may be considered non-responsive.
7. PROPOSAL CHANGES OR WITHDRAWAL:
A proposer may withdraw or modify its proposal any time before the proposal due date
by a written request, signed in the same manner and by the same person who signed
the proposal.
8. CONSULTANT QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:
The City of Yakima specifically requires a consultant or consultant team to provide
Legislative and Advocacy services that will include at a minimum the following:
A. At least 5 years' experience in providing full-time legislative and
intergovernmental services before the legislature and executive branch of the
State of Washington;
B. Be an individual or firm with demonstrated experience in bi-partisan
relationships;
C. Ensure that all staff assigned to represent the City are registered as lobbyists
with the Office of the Secretary of the State of Washington.
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D. Ensure that the staff assigned to represent the City is located in or near
Olympia and available to provide services on an on-call basis.
9. PROPOSAL CONTENT INSTRUCTIONS:
Proposals should contain the following information, including:
A. A description of how the firm will carry out the scope of services described
in this RFP, including the strategy and techniques that reflect an
understanding of the City's expected goals and outcomes. The Proposal
should include the method to be utilized to update the City on a monthly or
more frequent basis on issues, how the consultant or firm will handle
urgent issues, the network of contact or process utilized to gain an
understanding of proposed legislative before it is introduced in the
legislative session and other relevant strategies to assist the City Council
in understanding consultant or firm's network, experience, understanding
and advocacy style.
B. The name, address, telephone and fax numbers, and email address of
your firms Principals.
C. A general description of your firm, including type of work performed and
key personnel.
D. A minimum of five (5) references of current or former clients and
representative projects undertaken in the last five years, demonstrating
experience relevant to this project. Provide a contact person's name, title,
address, phone number and email address.
E. The name and title of the individual(s) who would be assigned
responsibility for performing the services on behalf of the City. Submit
resumes for each identified individual.
F Provide a list of current clients.
G. The successful proposer will be expected to execute the City's Standard
Professional Agreement and to provide evidence of the required
insurance. A sample Agreement is attached as part of the RFP Package.
This does not have to be attached to your proposal.
H. Include a proposed monthly fee based on a menu of services from which
the City can select in order to manage its monthly fee structure.
Include a statement in the Proposal that Consultant or Consultant firm
understands the City will develop performance indicators to measure its
return on investment for the services provided. Consultant or Consultant
firm may utilize this opportunity to describe its demonstrated performance
with other clients.
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10. SCOPE OF SERVICES:
The selected consultant or consulting team will be expected to perform all technical and
other analyses necessary to complete the scope of services. The consultant will
receive general direction from the City Council and be administratively responsible to
the City Manager.
The Scope of Services shall include, but may not be limited to:
A. Represent the City interactions with the Governor's Office and
Administration, State Agencies, the State legislature, legislative
representatives and staff person, boards, commissions, and legislative
bodies as described in the Introduction.
B. Services required of the Representative shall be personally provided by
the principals of the Representative as identified in the Proposal, which
shall be specified in the Professional Services Agreement between the
Consultant or Consultant firm and the City.
C. All materials submitted in response to this RFP, except for proprietary
material, shall become the property of the City upon delivery to the City,
which reserves the right in its sole discretion to use without limitation, any
and all information, concepts and data contained therein. The content of
all proposals will be held confidential until the selection of a consultant is
made. Any proprietary data must be clearly marked. The City is required
by law to make its records available for public inspection, with certain
exceptions, per Chapter 42.17 RCW.
D. Representative shall provide all equipment and personnel needed to fulfill
the requirements for representing the City.
E. The 2018 budget for these services is up to $62,000.
11. EVALUATION BY ANALYSIS COMMITTEE:
All qualification packets will be screened to determine whether the minimum
requirements of the RFP are met. The Selection Committee (SC), which will include
members of the Yakima City Council, the City Manager, the Communications & Public
Affairs Direction, and potentially other City staff will then evaluate those applicants who
meet the minimum RFP requirements and short list firms to be interviewed and formally
scored.
A. Qualification Evaluation Criteria: Following are the criteria which will be
used to score the short-listed proposals. A maximum score of 100 points will be used
to evaluate proposals. Each of the following elements shall have the stated maximum
point value:
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12. POST EVALUATION EVENTS:
The Consultant or Consultant Teams scoring the highest points will be recommended
for award to the full City Council. At the direction of the City Council, the City Manager
will negotiate and sign the final contract.
13. APPLICANTS COST TO DEVELOP QUALIFICATION PACKET:
Costs for developing qualification packets in response to the RFP are entirely the
obligation of the Applicant and shall not be chargeable in any manner to the City.
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ualification and Ear•erlance
Points
(1)
Proposer Qualifications
40
(2)
Project Approach
20
(3)
Price
40
TOTAL
100
12. POST EVALUATION EVENTS:
The Consultant or Consultant Teams scoring the highest points will be recommended
for award to the full City Council. At the direction of the City Council, the City Manager
will negotiate and sign the final contract.
13. APPLICANTS COST TO DEVELOP QUALIFICATION PACKET:
Costs for developing qualification packets in response to the RFP are entirely the
obligation of the Applicant and shall not be chargeable in any manner to the City.
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AGREEMENT
BETWEEN
CITY OF YAKIMA, WASHINGTON
AND
Northwest Advocates Political Consultants
FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
THIS AGREEMENT, made and entered into on this day of , 2018, by and between
the City of Yakima, Washington, a municipal corporation with its principal office at 129 North Second Street,
Yakima, WA 98901, hereinafter referred to as "CITY", , with its principal office
at , hereinafter referred to as "CONSULTANT"; said CONSULTANT is licensed and registered to
do business in the State of Washington, and will provide State Legislative and Administrative Advocacy Services,
hereinafter referred to as "SERVICES" on behalf of the City of Yakima
WITNESSETH:
RECITALS
WHEREAS, CITY desires to retain the CONSULTANT to provide services described in this Agreement
and subsequent Amendments thereto; and
WHEREAS, CONSULTANT represents that it has available and offers to provide personnel with
knowledge and experience necessary to satisfactorily accomplish the work within the required time and that it has no
conflicts of interest prohibited by law from entering into this Agreement;
NOW, THEREFORE, CITY and CONSULTANT agree as follows:
SECTION 1 INCORPORATION OF RECITALS
1.1 The above recitals are incorporated into the operative provisions of the Agreement.
SECTION 2 SCOPE OF SERVICES
2.1 CONSULTANT agrees to perform those services described hereafter. Unless modified in writing by both
parties, duties of CONSULTANT shall not be construed to exceed those services specifically set forth
herein.
2.2 CONSULTANT shall use its best efforts to maintain continuity in personnel and shall assign Susie Tracy
as Consultant -in -Charge throughout the term of this Agreement unless other personnel are approved by the
CITY.
2.3 Basic Services: CONSULTANT agrees to perform those tasks described in Exhibit A, entitled "Scope of
Services" (hereafter WORK or PROJECT) which is attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement as if
fully set forth herein.
2.4 Additional Services: CITY and CONSULTANT agree that not all WORK to be performed by
CONSULTANT can be defined in detail at the time this Agreement is executed, and that additional WORK
related to the Project and not covered in Exhibit A may be needed during performance of this Agreement.
CITY may, at any time by written order, direct the CONSULTANT to revise portions of the WORK
previously completed in a satisfactory manner, delete portions of the WORK, or request that the
CONSULTANT perform additional WORK beyond the scope of the WORK. Such changes hereinafter
shall be referred to as "Additional Services."
2.4.1 If such Additional Services cause an increase or decrease in the CONSULTANT'S cost of, or time
required for, performance of any services under this Agreement, a contract price and/or
completion time adjustment pursuant to this Agreement shall be made and this Agreement shall be
modified in writing accordingly.
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2.4.2 Compensation for each such request for Additional Services shall be negotiated by the CITY and
the CONSULTANT, and if so authorized, shall be considered part of the WORK. The
CONSULTANT shall not perform any Additional Services until so authorized by CITY and
agreed to by the CONSULTANT in writing.
2.5 The CONSULTANT must assert any claim for adjustment in writing within thirty (30) days from the date
of the CONSULTANT's receipt of the written notification of change.
SECTION 3 TERM
3.1 TERM: The term of this Agreement shall commence upon execution hereof and shall continue for
unless terminated sooner by either party in accordance with Section 16.
SECTION 4 CITY'S RESPONSIBILITIES
4.1 CITY -FURNISHED DATA: The CITY will provide to the CONSULTANT all technical data in the
CITY'S possession relating to the CONSULTANT'S performance of the WORK.
4.2 ACCESS TO FACILITIES AND PROPERTY: The CITY will make its facilities reasonably accessible to
CONSULTANT as required for CONSULTANT'S performance of its services and will provide labor and
equipment as reasonably required by CONSULTANT for such access.
4.3 TIMELY REVIEW: The CITY will examine the CONSULTANT'S studies, reports, proposals, and other
documents; obtain advice of an attorney, insurance counselor, accountant, auditor, bond and financial
advisors, and other consultants as CITY deems appropriate; and render in writing decisions required of
CITY in a timely manner Such examinations and decisions, however, shall not relieve the
CONSULTANT of any contractual obligations nor of its duty to render professional services meeting the
standards of care for its profession.
4.4 CITY shall appoint a CITY'S Representative with respect to WORK to be performed under this Agreement.
CITY'S Representative shall have complete authority to transmit instructions and receive information.
CONSULTANT shall be entitled to reasonably rely on such instructions made by the CITY'S
Representative unless otherwise directed in writing by the CITY, but CONSULTANT shall be responsible
for bringing to the attention of the CITY'S Representative any instructions which the CONSULTANT
believes are inadequate, incomplete, or inaccurate based upon the CONSULTANT'S knowledge.
4.5 Any documents, services, and reports provided by the CITY to the CONSULTANT are available solely as
additional information to the CONSULTANT and will not relieve the CONSULTANT of its duties and
obligations under this Agreement or at law. The CONSULTANT shall be entitled to reasonably rely upon
the accuracy and the completeness of such documents, services and reports, but shall be responsible for
exercising customary professional care in using and reviewing such documents, services, and reports and
drawing conclusions there from.
SECTION 5 AUTHORIZATION, PROGRESS, AND COMPLETION
5.1 In signing this Agreement, CITY grants CONSULTANT specific authorization to proceed with WORK
described in Exhibit A. The time for completion is defined in Exhibit A, or as amended.
SECTION 6 COMPENSATION
6.1 COMPENSATION ON A TIME SPENT BASIS: For the services described in Exhibit A, compensation
shall be plus reimbursement for direct non -salary expenses.
6.1.1 DIRECT NON -SALARY EXPENSES: Direct Non -Salary Expenses are those costs incurred on
or directly for the PROJECT including, but not limited to, necessary transportation costs,
including current rates for CONSULTANT'S vehicles; meals and lodging; laboratory tests and
analyses; printing, binding and reproduction charges; all costs associated with other outside
nonprofessional services and facilities; special CITY -requested and PROJECT -related insurance
and performance warranty costs; and other similar costs. Reimbursement for Direct Non -Salary
Expenses will be on the basis of actual charges plus ten percent (10%) and on the basis of current
rates when furnished by CONSULTANT.
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6.1.1.1 Travel costs, including transportation, lodging, subsistence, and incidental expenses
incurred by employees of the CONSULTANT and each of the Subconsultants in
connection with PROJECT WORK; provided, as follows:
• That a maximum of U.S. INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE allowed cents per
mile will be paid for the operation, maintenance, and depreciation costs of
company or individually owned vehicles for that portion of time they are used
for WORK. CONSULTANT, whenever possible, will use the least expensive
form of ground transportation.
• That reimbursement for meals inclusive of tips shall not exceed a maximum of
forty dollars ($40) per day per person. This rate may be adjusted on a yearly
basis.
• That accommodation shall be at a reasonably priced hotel/motel.
• That air travel shall be by coach class, and shall be used only when absolutely
necessary.
6.1.2 Telephone charges, computer charges, in-house reproduction charges, first class postage, and FAX
charges are not included in the direct expense costs, but are considered included in the Schedule of
Specific Hourly Billing Rates.
6.2 Unless specifically authorized in writing by the CITY, the total annual budgetary cost for this PROJECT
shall not exceed , plus reimbursement for direct non -salary expenses.
The CONSULTANT will make reasonable efforts to complete the WORK within the budget and will keep
CITY informed of progress toward that end so that the budget or WORK effort can be adjusted if found
necessary. The CONSULTANT is not obligated to incur costs beyond the indicated budget, as may be
adjusted, nor is the CITY obligated to pay the CONSULTANT beyond these limits. When any budget has
been increased, the CONSULTANT'S excess costs expended prior to such increase will be allowable to the
same extent as if such costs had been incurred after the approved increase, and provided that the City was
informed in writing at the time such costs were incurred.
6.3 The CONSULTANT shall submit to the City's Representative an invoice each month for payment for
services completed through the accounting cut-off day of the previous month. Such invoices shall be for
services and WORK performed and costs incurred prior to the date of the invoice and not covered by
previously submitted invoices. The CONSULTANT shall submit with each invoice a summary of time
expended on the PROJECT for the current billing period, and any other supporting materials determined by
the City necessary to substantiate the costs incurred. CITY will use its best efforts to pay such invoices
within thirty (30) days of receipt and upon approval of the WORK done and amount billed. CITY will
notify the CONSULTANT promptly if any problems are noted with the invoice. CITY may question any
item in an invoice, noting to CONSULTANT the questionable item(s) and withholding payment for such
item(s). The CONSULTANT may resubmit such item(s) in a subsequent invoice together with additional
supporting information required.
6.4 Payment terms are net 30 after receipt of approved invoice(s).
SECTION 7 RESPONSIBILITY OF CONSULTANT
7.1 INDEMNIFICATION:
(a) CONSULTANT agrees to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the CITY, its elected
officials, agents, officers, employees, agents and volunteers (hereinafter "parties protected")
from (1) claims, demands, liens, lawsuits, administrative and other proceedings,(including
reasonable costs and attorneys fees) and (2) judgments, awards, losses, liabilities, damages,
penalties, fines, costs and expenses of any kind claimed by third parties arising out of, or
related to any death, injury, damage or destruction to any person or any property to the extent
caused by any negligent act, action, default, error or omission or willful misconduct arising
out of the CONSULTANT's performance under this Agreement. In the event that any lien is
placed upon the City's property or any of the City's officers, employees or agents as a result
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(b)
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of the negligence or willful misconduct of the CONSULTANT, the CONSULTANT shall at
once cause the same to be dissolved and discharged by giving bond or otherwise.
CITY agrees to indemnify and hold the CONSULTANT harmless from loss, cost, or expense of
any kind claimed by third parties, including without limitation such loss, cost, or expense resulting
from injuries to persons or damages to property, caused solely by the negligence or willful
misconduct of the CITY, its employees, or agents in connection with the service.
(c) If the negligence or willful misconduct of both the CONSULTANT and the CITY (or a person
identified above for whom each is liable) is a cause of such third party claim, the loss, cost, or
expense shall be shared between the CONSULTANT and the CITY in proportion to their relative
degrees of negligence or willful misconduct and the right of indemnity will apply for such
proportion.
(d) Nothing contained in this Section or this Agreement shall be construed to create a liability or a
right of indemnification in any third party.
7.2 In any and all claims by an employee of the CONSULTANT, any subcontractor, anyone directly or
indirectly employed by any of them, or anyone for whose acts any of them may be liable, the
indemnification obligations under this Agreement shall not be limited in any way by any limitation on the
amount or types of damages, compensation, or benefits payable by or for the CONSULTANT or a
subcontractor under workers' or workmens' compensation acts, disability benefit acts, or other employee
benefit acts.
CONSULTANT'S INITIALS CITY'S INITIALS
SECTION 8 AUDIT AND ACCESS TO RECORDS
8.1 The CONSULTANT, including its subconsultants, shall maintain books, records, documents and other
evidence directly pertinent to performance of the WORK under this Agreement in accordance with
generally accepted accounting principles and practices consistently applied. The CITY, or the CITY'S duly
authorized representative, shall have access to such books, records, documents, and other evidence for
inspection, audit, and copying for a period of three years after completion of the WORK. The CITY shall
also have access to such books, records, and documents during the performance of the WORK, if deemed
necessary by the CITY, to verify the CONSULTANT'S WORK and invoices.
8.2 Audits conducted pursuant to this section shall be in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards
and established procedures and guidelines of the reviewing or auditing agency.
8.3 The CONSULTANT agrees to the disclosure of all information and reports resulting from access to records
pursuant to this section provided that the CONSULTANT is afforded the opportunity for an audit exit
conference and an opportunity to comment and submit any supporting documentation on the pertinent
portions of the draft audit report and that the final audit report will include written comments, if any, of the
CONSULTANT.
8.4 The CONSULTANT shall ensure that the foregoing paragraphs are included in each subcontract for
WORK.
8.5 Any charges of the CONSULTANT paid by the CITY which are found by an audit to be inadequately
substantiated shall be reimbursed to the CITY.
SECTION 9 INSURANCE
9.1 At all times during performance of the Services, CONSULTANT shall secure and maintain in effect
insurance to protect the City and the CONSULTANT from and against all claims, damages, losses, and
expenses arising out of or resulting from the performance of this Contract. CONSULTANT shall provide
and maintain in force insurance in limits no less than that stated below, as applicable. The City reserves the
rights to require higher limits should it deem it necessary in the best interest of the public.
9.1.1. Automobile Liability Insurance.
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a. If CONSULTANT owns any vehicles, before this Contract is fully executed by the
parties, OIC shall provide the City with a certificate of insurance as proof of automobile
liability insurance and umbrella liability insurance with a total minimum liability limit of Five -
Hundred -Thousand Dollars ($500,000.00) per occurrence combined single limit bodily injury
and property damage. Automobile liability will apply to "Any Auto" and be shown on the
certificate.
b. Under either situation described above in Section 9.1.2.a and Section 9.1.2.b, the required
certificate of insurance shall clearly state who the provider is, the coverage amount, the policy
number, and when the policy and provisions provided are in effect. Said policy shall be in
effect for the duration of this Contract. The policy shall name the City, its elected officials,
officers, agents, employees, and volunteers as additional insureds. CONSULTANT will not
cancel or change the insurance without first giving the City thirty (30) calendar days prior
written notice. The insurance shall be with an insurance company or companies rated A -VII or
higher in Best's Guide and admitted in the State of Washington.
9.1.2. Statutory workers' compensation and employer's liability insurance as required by state law.
SECTION 10 SUBCONTRACTS
10.1 CONSULTANT shall be entitled, with the City's written authorization and to the extent determined
appropriate by CONSULTANT, to subcontract any portion of the WORK to be performed under this
Agreement.
SECTION 11 ASSIGNMENT
This Agreement is binding on the heirs, successors and assigns of the parties hereto. This Agreement may
not be assigned by CITY or CONSULTANT without prior written consent of the other, which consent will
not be unreasonably withheld. It is expressly intended and agreed that no third party beneficiaries are created
by this Agreement, and that the rights and remedies provided herein shall inure only to the benefit of the
parties to this Agreement.
SECTION 12 INTEGRATION
12.1 This Agreement represents the entire understanding of CITY and CONSULTANT as to those matters
contained herein. No prior oral or written understanding shall be of any force or effect with respect to
those matters covered herein. This Agreement may not be modified or altered except in writing signed by
both parties.
SECTION 13 JURISDICTION AND VENUE
13.1 This Agreement shall be administered and interpreted under the laws of the State of Washington.
Jurisdiction of litigation arising from this Agreement shall be in Washington State. If any part of this
Agreement is found to conflict with applicable laws, such part shall be inoperative, null, and void insofar as
it conflicts with said laws, but the remainder of this Agreement shall be in full force and effect. Venue for
all disputes arising under this Agreement shall be Yakima County, State of Washington.
SECTION 14 EQUAL EMPLOYMENT and NONDISCRIMINATION
14.1 During the performance of this Agreement, CONSULTANT and CONSULTANT's subconsultants shall
not discriminate in violation of any applicable federal, state and/or local law or regulation on the basis of
age, sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, marital status, disability, honorably discharged veteran
or military status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, and any other classification protected under federal, state,
or local law. This provision shall include but not be limited to the following: employment, upgrading,
demotion, transfer, recruitment, advertising, layoff or termination, rates of pay or other forms of
compensation, selection for training, and the provision of services under this Agreement. CONSULTANT
agrees to comply with the applicable provisions of State and Federal Equal Employment Opportunity and
Nondiscrimination statutes and regulations.
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SECTION 15 SUSPENSION OF WORK
15.1 CITY may suspend, in writing by certified mail, all or a portion of the WORK under this
Agreement if unforeseen circumstances beyond CITY'S control are interfering with normal progress of the
WORK. CONSULTANT may suspend, in writing by certified mail, all or a portion of the WORK under this
Agreement if unforeseen circumstances beyond CONSULTANT's control are interfering with normal progress
of the WORK. CONSULTANT may suspend WORK on PROJECT in the event CITY does not pay invoices
when due, except where otherwise provided by this Agreement. The time for completion of the WORK shall be
extended by the number of days WORK is suspended. If the period of suspension exceeds ninety (90) days, the
terms of this Agreement are subject to renegotiation, and both parties are granted the option to terminate
WORK on the suspended portion in accordance with SECTION 15.
SECTION 16 TERMINATION OF WORK
16.1 Either party may terminate this Agreement, in whole or in part, if the other party materially breaches its
obligations under this Agreement and is in default through no fault of the terminating party. However, no
such termination may be effected unless the other party is given: (1) not less than fifteen (15) calendar
days written notice delivered by certified mail, return receipt requested, of intent to terminate; and (2) an
opportunity for consultation and for cure with the terminating party before termination. Notice shall be
considered issued within seventy-two (72) hours of mailing by certified mail to the place of business of
either party as set forth in this Agreement.
16.2 In addition to termination under subsection 16.1 of this Section, CITY may terminate this Agreement for its
convenience, in whole or in part, provided the CONSULTANT is given: (1) not less than fifteen (15)
calendar days written notice delivered by certified mail, return receipt requested, of intent to terminate; and
(2) an opportunity for consultation with CITY before termination
16.3 If CITY terminates for default on the part of the CONSULTANT, an adjustment in the contract price
pursuant to the Agreement shall be made, but (1) no amount shall be allowed for anticipated profit on
unperformed services or other WORK, and (2) any payment due to the CONSULTANT at the time of
termination may be adjusted to the extent of any additional costs or damages CITY has incurred, or is likely
to incur, because of the CONSULTANT'S breach. In such event, CITY shall consider the amount of
WORK originally required which was satisfactorily completed to date of termination, whether that WORK
is in a form or of a type which is usable and suitable to CITY at the date of termination and the cost to
CITY of completing the WORK itself or of employing another firm to complete it. Under no
circumstances shall payments made under this provision exceed the contract price. In the event of default,
the CONSULTANT agrees to pay CITY for any and all damages, costs, and expenses whether directly,
indirectly, or consequentially caused by said default. This provision shall not preclude CITY from filing
claims and/or commencing litigation to secure compensation for damages incurred beyond that covered by
contract retainage or other withheld payments.
16.4 If the CONSULTANT terminates for default on the part of CITY or if CITY terminates for convenience,
the adjustment pursuant to the Agreement shall include payment for services satisfactorily performed to the
date of termination, in addition to termination settlement costs the CONSULTANT reasonably incurs
relating to commitments which had become firm before the termination, unless CITY determines to assume
said commitments.
16.5 Upon receipt of a termination notice under subsections 16.1 or 16.2 above, the CONSULTANT shall (1)
promptly discontinue all services affected (unless the notice directs otherwise), and (2) deliver or otherwise
make available to CITY all originals of data, drawings, specifications, calculations, reports, estimates,
summaries, and such other information, documents, and materials as the CONSULTANT or its
subconsultants may have accumulated or prepared in performing this Agreement, whether completed or in
progress, with the CONSULTANT retaining copies of the same.
16.6 Upon termination under any subparagraph above, CITY reserves the right to prosecute the WORK to
completion utilizing other qualified firms or individuals; provided, the CONSULTANT shall have no
responsibility to prosecute further WORK thereon.
16.7 If, after termination for failure of the CONSULTANT to fulfill contractual obligations, it is determined that
the CONSULTANT has not so failed, the termination shall be deemed to have been effected for the
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convenience of CITY. In such event, the adjustment pursuant to the Agreement shall be determined as set
forth in subparagraph 16.4 of this Section.
16.8 If, because of death, unavailability or any other occurrence, it becomes impossible for any key personnel
employed by the CONSULTANT in PROJECT WORK or for any corporate officer of the CONSULTANT
to render his services to the PROJECT, the CONSULTANT shall not be relieved of its obligations to
complete performance under this Agreement without the concurrence and written approval of CITY. If
CITY agrees to termination of this Agreement under this provision, payment shall be made as set forth in
subparagraph 16.3 of this Section.
SECTION 17 DISPUTE RESOLUTION
17.1 In the event that any dispute shall arise as to the interpretation of this agreement, or in the event of a notice
of default as to whether such default does constitute a breach of the contract, and if the parties hereto
cannot mutually settle such differences, then the parties shall first pursue mediation as a means to resolve
the dispute. If the afore mentioned methods are either not successful then any dispute relating to this
Agreement shall be decided in the courts of Yakima County, in accordance with the laws of Washington.
If both parties consent in writing, other available means of dispute resolution may be implemented.
SECTION 18 NOTICE
18.1 Any notice required to be given under the terms of this Agreement shall be directed to the party at the
address set forth below. Notice shall be considered issued and effective upon receipt thereof by the
addressee -party, or seventy-two (72) hours after mailing by certified mail to the place of business set forth
below, whichever is earlier.
CITY:
City of Yakima
Cliff Moore, City Manager
129 North 2nd Street
Yakima, WA 98901
CONSULTANT:
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this agreement to be executed by their respective
authorized officers or representatives as of the day and year first above written.
CITY OF YAKIMA
Cliff Moore (Consultant)
Printed Name: Printed Name:
Title: City Manager Title:
Date: Date:
Attest
Page 16
City Clerk
City Contract No.
Resolution No. R -2018 ----
Page 17
22
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EXHIBIT A
SCOPE OF SERVICES
The Scope of Services shall include, but may not be limited to:
A. Represent the City interactions with the Governor's Office and Administration,
State Agencies, the State legislature, legislative representatives and staff person, boards,
commissions, and legislative bodies as described in the Introduction.
B. Research and provide written and oral information to City Council as specified by
the City Manager on matters which include, but are not limited to:
1) Existing and proposed State laws and regulations that affect City's
interests;
2) Reports on and testimony from legislative hearings;
3) The development and progress of State issues affecting the City's
interests;
4) State agency and department regulations guidelines, directives, and other
instruments of administrative policy;
5) Grants and other funding opportunities for proposed City projects; and
6) Technical reports and memoranda affecting City operations and fiscal
conditions.
7) Specific knowledge on economic development, infrastructure, and land
use, including funding sources and regulatory requirements.
C. Services required of the Representative shall be personally provided by the
principals of the Representative as identified in the Proposal, which shall be
specified in the Professional Services Agreement between the Consultant or
Consultant firm and the City.
D. Representative shall provide all equipment and personnel needed to fulfill the
requirements for representing the City.
Page 18
EXHIBIT B
Professional Fees
Page 19
EXHIBIT "C"
SCHEDULE OF RATES
RFP 11224-P/Page 20 of 20
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26
April 13, 2018
Sue Ownby, Purchasing Manager
City of Yakima
129 No. 2nd Street
Yakima, WA 98901
Re: RFP No. 11813P, STATE LEGISLATIVE AND ADMINISTRATIVE ADVOCACY SERVICES
Dear Ms. Ownby
Thank you for the opportunity to respond to this Request for Proposal (RFP) for State Legislative
and Administrative Advocacy Services for the City of Yakima. As requested, six copies of this
proposal are enclosed along with the original. If desired we can also email a PDF of the final
document.
We, Lyset Cadena (Cadena Consulting) and David Foster (Foster Government Relations), are
proposing as a team to serve the City of Yakima. We would be honored to be a part of your
team working to enhance the economic vitality and quality of life for the population of Yakima.
We have the skills, contacts and experience to support Yakima well in Olympia leading up to
and during the legislative session. Together we have over 32 years working in state and local
government including 22 years of lobbying the State Legislature, Governor's Office and State
departments. We have both represented large governments and a broad range of clients that
cover all of the issue areas of interest to Yakima. In addition to the information provided in this
proposal, we offer the following strengths that will benefit the City of Yakima:
We have good bipartisan working relationships with legislators from around the state,
especially those in leadership positions.
• We are known for being strong team players and can work well with coalitions, including
the Association of Washington Cities, other city lobbyists and representatives from
many other issue areas to support Yakinna's legislative agenda.
Our working style involves close coordination with the clients we represent, both to
keep them well-informed of what is happening on relevant issues during the legislative
session and also to involve them directly, if they desire and as needed, in affecting
outcomes.
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Sue Ownby
April 13, 2018
Page 2
Together, we have represented many diverse clients. This diversity has allowed us to work with
legislators, coalitions, organizations and other lobbyists from all over the state. We have had
success working large difficult issues, including operating, capital and transportation budgets,
as well as smaller focused policy issues. Each issue requires a unique game plan and must be
approached with individual strategies to maximize the probability of success. We have a strong
record of developing a winning approach to issues, which we develop with our clients well
before the legislative session begins in January.
Cadena Consulting and Foster Government Relations provide full-time service in Olympia during
the legislative session, special session and committee days. Our attached proposal contains a
suggested scope of work, our qualifications, firm description, list of references, resumes and
cost proposal. We are happy to supply additional information as requested.
We would be proud to have the opportunity to represent the City of Yakima and work with you
as your lobbyists. We look forward to hearing from you regarding the next step in the selection
process.
Sincerely,
Lyset Cadena
Cadena Consulting
1600 2nd Ave, #1113
Seattle, WA98101
915-497-6085
lyset@cadenaconsulting.com
David Foster
Foster Government Relations
3646 — 48th Ave SW
Seattle, WA 98116
206-372-8523
davidfoster9@gmail.com
Cadena Consulting
and
Foster Government Relations
April 13, 2018
CITY OF YAKIMA
RFP No. 11813P
STATE LEGISLATIVE AND ADMINISTRATIVE ADVOCACY SERVICES
Lyset Cadena
Cadena Consulting
1600 2"d Ave, #1113
Seattle, WA 98101
915-497-6085
Iyset@cadenaconsulting.com
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David Foster
Foster Government Relations
3646 — 48th Ave SW
Seattle, WA 98116
206-372-8523
davidfoster9@gmail.com
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REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL RESPONSE
Proposal Content
A) Scope of Services
Legislative Agenda
Substantive issue development generally starts at the City department level, where staff
identifies operating issues or policy concerns that may require legislative remedies. In some
cases, the issues are generated through consortia such as the Association of Washington Cities.
In either case, many of these issues will have been vetted at various levels within the City or
with other groups before moving forward with approval by the City Council and signed by the
Mayor. It is Lyset and David's responsibility to understand the agenda and ramifications of all
issues regardless of those we are working on directly.
Develop a Strategic Plan
Lyset and David practice from the premise that advocacy begins "at home" with development
of a comprehensive strategic plan that includes:
• early outreach to policy makers at all levels;
• a far-reaching communication network; and
inclusive participation from partners interested in success on the same issues.
As the City of Yakima's lobbyists, Lyset and David would build upon the city's needs and
strengths and help implement the necessary action items using a broad knowledge of people,
organizations and issues at all levels of government. This includes working with the Governor's
office, department liaisons, other local jurisdictions and groups such as the Association of
Washington Cities to determine their priority issues in advance of the session. This will also
help us to inform the City as the legislative agenda and priority issue are being developed.
Communication of the Legislative Agenda and Direct Lobbying
Ideally, prior to session - and certainly once the session begins - we will work directly with local
legislators to provide them information regarding the City of Yakima's legislative agenda. In
order to be successful moving Yakima's legislative agenda forward, decisions regarding
sponsors, support and strategy must be made quickly. Lyset and David are uniquely suited to
help Yakima propose and make those decisions due to their expertise in Washington State
regarding local government policy and budget issues.
30
More importantly, Lyset and David seldom leave the Capital Campus when the Legislature is in
session, whether it's early morning hearings or late-night floor action. In many instances,
successful lobbying is a result of being available when opportunities arise; and Lyset and David
are always there to work with the legislators and staff.
Client Communication
Lyset and David believe the best way to ensure success with the City of Yakima's legislative
agenda is to provide and expect straight -forward communication with the client and the
elected officials, with whom they work, ensuring that all parties fully understand the issues. At
a minimum, this would entail weekly correspondence with the Council, City Manager and/or
their staff. In most cases, the communication will be much greater than once a week and could
include in-person meetings, phone calls, e-mail and written reports as agreed upon by both
parties.
Deliverables
The deliverables for this contract will be full service lobbying including but not limited to the
following items.
During the legislative session:
• Represent the City of Yakima before the Washington State Legislature, Office of the
Governor and relevant state agencies, associations, stakeholders, coalitions and interest
groups.
• Support the development and implementation of Yakima's Legislative Agenda.
• Advise client for successful outcomes.
* Coordinate bill drafting, sponsorships, and passage of legislation.
O Monitor other impactful legislation and policy changes.
• Provide assistance in identifying, scheduling and preparing testimony before relevant
legislative committees or state agencies as needed.
Monitor agency rule-making process and advise Yakima on actions needed to
implement legislation in a manner most favorable to the City.
Provide updates per the client's preference.
• Provide a post session report.
During the legislative interim:
Monitor and provide advice to Yakima on emerging legislation or agency policy changes
related to the upcoming legislative session that could affect the City in either a positive
or negative manner and provide lobbying recommendations.
Monitor agency rule-making process and advise Yakima on actions needed to
implement legislation in a manner most favorable to the City.
Assist elected officials and staff with legislative meetings.
• Assist in developing a legislative agenda.
• Coordinate bill drafting, and sponsorships.
• Provide updates per the client's preference.
B) Principals
Lyset Cadena
Cadena Consulting
1600 2nd Ave, #1113
Seattle, WA 98101
915-497-6085
Iyset@cadenaconsulting.com
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David Foster
Foster Government Relations
3646 — 48th Ave SW
Seattle, WA 98116
206-372-8523
davidfoster9@gmail.com
Lyset Cadena began her career working for the Washington State Senate as partisan policy
staff. She worked on economic development, agriculture, and transportation issues and helped
Senators develop strategies to ensure their priorities were adopted. After six years at the
legislature, she left to work for a local government non-profit, but found she missed the
legislative process. In 2015, Lyset began her lobbying career as a City of Seattle lobbyist working
on affordable housing, homelessness, transportation, and the three budgets (operating, capital,
and transportation).
In late 2017, Lyset Cadena started Cadena Consulting with clients that include City of Burien,
City of Edmonds, City of Seattle, CHI Franciscan, School's Out Washington, Woodland Park Zoo,
and the Washington Tourism Alliance. Throughout Lyset's career she has been active in
transportation, revenue, human services, public health, early learning, and natural resources
issues. Lyset Cadena has successfully secured funding from the state's operating, capital and
transportation budgets and has steered policy legislation through the political minefields of
Olympia.
David Foster began his career working in a variety of governmental positions in Olympia and
Washington D.C. In 1996 he worked at the King County Council as the lead staff member for
Councilmember Nickels on a range of issues including the annual budget, public health, human
services and natural resources. After moving to the City of Seattle and beginning his lobbying
career in late 2001, David Foster was the lead lobbyist for the City on human services, public
health, criminal justice, public safety, and economic development, including the state operating
budgets for each of these issue areas. In 2002, he became Seattle's Chief State Lobbyist, leading
the team while having the primary responsibilities in issue areas that included operating and
capital budget, transportation, land use and infrastructure. Additional duties included
coordinating legislative outreach, researching and drafting Seattle's legislative agenda.
In late 2006, David Foster started Foster Government Relations with clients that have included
the American Lung Association, Apollo Group Inc., Building for the Arts Coalition, Campaign for
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Tobacco Free Kids, Cannon Power Group, City of Seattle, City of Spokane, City of Spokane
Valley, Communities In Schools of Washington, FareStart, HistoryLink, Intercity Transit, Interior
Design Coalition of Washington, National Multiple Sclerosis Society - Greater Washington
Chapter, Pacific Science Center, Recreational Gaming Association, Seattle Aquarium, Seattle
Center Foundation, School Levy Coalition, Washington Childcare United, Washington State
Alliance of YMCA's and Washington State Association of Counties.
As a representative of a diverse clientele, he has been active in almost every conceivable issue
area, including transportation, public infrastructure, finance, revenue, human services, public
health and the arts. He has been successful obtaining grants and direct appropriations from the
state's three budgets - operating, capital and transportation. David has led legislation big and
small through the political process and to the Governor's desk. He has worked to build a
successful business by providing straight -forward communication both to his clients and to the
elected officials that he is working with, ensuring that all parties fully understand the issues at
hand.
C) Description of Firm(s)
Cadena Consulting is a sole proprietor business operated by Lyset Cadena to provide lobbying
services at the state and local level. She has provided strategic advice to state and local elected
officials to help advance policy legislation in the state legislature. Although Lyset has focused on
transportation, revenue, human services, public health, early learning, and natural resources,
she welcomes the opportunity to jump into and embrace new issues.
Foster Government Relations is a sole proprietor business operated by David Foster to provide
full lobbying services at the state and local level. For the past 12 years as a contract lobbyist,
and five as an in-house lobbyist for the City of Seattle, David has worked on operating, capital
and transportation budgets, revenue and infrastructure proposals as well as policy issues.
David finds that being a one-person consulting firm allows him to maintain a hands-on
approach, ensuring full knowledge and client communication on all aspects of his work.
D) References
Lyset Cadena
City of Burien
Local government agencyfocused on budgets, transportation, revenue, mental and public
health, and affordable housing.
Brian Wilson, City Manager, 400 SW 152nd St, Suite 300, Burien, WA 98166, 206-248-5503,
BrianW@burienwa.gov
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City of Seattle
Local government agency workingon a variety of issues, but focused on affordable housing,
homelessness, human services, sustainable environment, and transportation.
Lily Wilson-Codega, Acting Director, 600 4th Ave, 5th floor, Seattle, WA 98124, 206-684-9202,
lily.wilson-codega@seattle.gov
Schools out Washington
Non-profit organization focused on providing services and guidance for organizations to ensure
all young people have safe places to learn and grow when not in school. Schools out
Washington advocates for accessible and equitable policies for afterschool and summer
programming.
David Beard, Policy & Advocacy Director, 801 23rd Avenue S, Suite A, Seattle, WA 98144, 206-
336-6922, DBeard@schoolsoutwashington.org
David Foster
Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids
Advocate specifically on the effort to change the legal age of sale of tobacco products to 21
years old. Generally, advocate on behalf of health care related to tobacco products.
Annie Tegan, Regional Director, 206-235-3665, ategen@tobaccofreekids.org
FareStart
Advocacy work is focused on efforts to secure state funding to help address homelessness,
joblessness, poverty and hunger through culinary programs and policies to end homelessness.
Ryan Dean, Chief Financial Officer, 700 Virginia, Seattle, WA 98101, 206-267-7603,
ryan.dean@farestart.org
Intercity Transit
Intercity Transit runs the local transit service in Thurston County. Legislative activity is focused
on transit policy and increased voter approved revenue authority (SB 5288 passed in 2018).
Ann Freeman Manzanares, General Manager, 526 Pattison St SE, Olympia, WA 98501, 360-705-
5838, AFreeman@intercitytransit.com
King County
Is a large county government with advocacy work on a large variety of issues but focused on
budgets, transportation, revenue, mental and public health and infrastructure.
April Putney, Director of GovernmentRelations, 401 5th Ave Ste 800, Seattle, WA 98104, 206-
263-1905, april.putney@kingcounty.gov
WA State Alliance of YMCA's
The primary work of the YMCA's is related to childcare and healthy living policies, revenue
issues, and securing funding in the Capital Budget.
Sue Anderson, Executive Director, 909 Fourth Ave, Seattle, WA 98104, 206-719-1270,
sanderson@seattleymca.org
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E) Resumes
Lyset Cadena
Professional Experience
Lobbyist Cadena Consulting 1 12/17 - present
• Develop State legislative agendas in collaboration with my clients.
• Draft and submit legislation for consideration.
• Lobby and testify on bills related to transportation, affordable housing, land use, GMA, homelessness,
tourism, and early learning.
• Secure funding for transportation projects and local projects in the capital budget
• Build relationships with legislators and stakeholders on transportation, affordable housing, land use,
GMA, homelessness, tourism, and early learning.
State Lobbyist City of Seattle! 5/15 - 12/17
• Developed the City of Seattle State legislative agenda in collaboration with the City Council and
Mayor.
• Drafted and submitted legislation for consideration during the 2016 and 2017 legislative session.
• Lobbied and testified on bills related to transportation, affordable housing, and homelessness.
▪ Secured funding for transportation projects and local projects in the capital budget.
• Built relationships with legislators and stakeholders on transportation, affordable housing, and
homelessness issues.
Sr. Policy Analyst Sound Cities Association 1 4/14 - 4/15
• Researched issues related to Transportation, Public Safety, and Government Operations, provided
analysis, options and recommendations to Sound Cities Association members.
O Staffed elected officials on the King County Regional Transit Committee and Regional Policy
Committee, the Puget Sound Regional Council Transportation Policy Board (TPB) and Executive
Board.
O Developed strategies to ensure that Sound Cities Association priorities were adopted.
• Prepared materials for the policy making arm of the Sound Cities Association, the Public Issues
Committee (PIC).
Policy Analyst Washington Senate Democratic Caucus 9/08 - 4/14
• Developed a transportation budget in excess of $8.7 billion. Negotiated with stakeholders,
communities and elected officials to ensure adoption and accountability.
• Researched issues related to Economic Development, Agriculture, and Transportation, providing
analysis, options and recommendations to Senate members.
• Developed strategies to ensure Senate members' priorities were adopted.
• Worked to ensure policies achieved goals without unintended consequences.
• Developed a capital budget in excess of $1 billion during the 2010 Legislative session.
Policy Intern Office of Program Research 1Washington House of Representatives 1 2007, 2008
• Researched policy issues related to local government and prepared memoranda for legislators.
• Drafted bills and amendments, including House Bill 3186, which was enacted into law to create beach
management districts.
• Developed bill analyses.
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Specialist El Paso Affordable Housing 1 7/05 - 8/ 05 (administration) 2/06 - 8/06 (grants)
• Helped raise $100,000 through grant research and writing.
• Through collaborative efforts, secured funding for the earned income tax credit coalition program.
• Managed meetings and implemented strategies.
Intern/ Assistant Office of the El Paso County Judge 1 5/04 - 6/05
• Administered the $1.5 million Individual Development Account program grant.
• Coordinated, organized, and managed the Earned Income Tax Credit Coalition.
• Provided volunteer tax assistance to 500 citizens, supervising 5 volunteers.
Education
Public Administration 1 2008 'University of Washington 1 Evans School of Public Affairs
BA, Political Science and Spanish Language 1 2004 1 Syracuse University
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DAVID FOSTER
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
October 2006 to Foster Government Relations,Seattle, WA
Present Owner
Contract lobbyist at State Legislature and local government level for public,
non-profit and private sector clients.
June 2002 to
October 2006
December 2001 to
June 2002
March 1996 to
December 2001
City of Seattle, Office of Intergovernmental Relations, Seattle, WA
Chief State Lobbyist
Lead staff liaison to State Legislature on behalf of the Mayor and Seattle City
Council. Lead staff on operating, capital and transportation budgets, land use
and infrastructure, economic development, education, Seattle Center and
elections, Coordinated legislative outreach with Seattle departments and
external interest groups and drafting of legislative agenda.Assisted with
regional government relations efforts.Managed two lobbyists and one
administrative member.
City of Seattle, Office of Intergovernmental Relations, Seattle, WA
State Legislative Liaison
Served as liaison to State Legislature on behalf of the Mayor of Seattle and
Seattle City Council. Lead staff on policy and operating budget for human
services, public health, criminal justice, public safety, civil rights, economic
development education and campaigns. Coordinated legislative outreach with
Seattle departments and external interest groups and drafting of legislative
agenda.Assisted with regional government relations efforts.
King County Councilmember Greg Nickels, Seattle, WA
Legislative Aide - Metropolitan King County Council, District 8
Served as liaison to Councilmembers, Executive, Council and Department
staff. Lead staff to Councilmember on issues including the annual budget,
King County Board of Health, Law & Justice, Human & Community
Services, Utilities and Natural Resources. Represented Councilmember in
community. Press relations. Performed constituent casework.Researched and
drafted legislative correspondence.
VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES
Raising twin girls (2002 — present and beyond)
Board of Trustees, Crisis Clinic, 2001 — 2004
Board of Directors, West Seattle Helpline, 1999 — 2004
Board of Directors, Fremont Public Association, 1997 - 1999
Coach, R.U.G. Little League Senior Majors, Minors, All -Stars, 1995-97
Coach, West Seattle Girls Softball, 2015 - 2016
Asst. Coach, West Seattle Soccer Club, Madison Middle, West Seattle High
EDUCATION
Western Washington University
BA, Political Science w/ History Minor, March 1992
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F) Current Clients
Lyset Cadena
CHI Franciscan
City of Burien
City of Edmonds
City of Seattle
Schools out Washington
WA Tourism Alliance
Woodland Park Zoo
David Foster
FareStart
Intercity Transit
King County
Pacific Science Center
Seattle Aquarium
Washington State Alliance of YMCA's
H) Fee Proposal
Based on the work plan outlined above we propose an annual contract totaling $60,000. The
amount for the contract is based on a monthly retainer of $5,000 to be billed via email invoice
on the last work day of each month. We approach the contract using a monthly retainer, split
equally, versus an hourly fee as it is more flexible for your needs and less onerous as an
administrative requirement. Based on the RFP timeline the start date will be September, 2018.
Lyset and David will cover all expenses for the duration of the contract with the exception of
printed or other materials the City of Yakima currently uses or might ordinarily provide. All pre -
approved related travel and meeting or convention fees will also be reimbursed by the client.
1) Performance Measures
Lyset and David acknowledge that the City will develop performance measures and indicators
and look forward to working together on this effort.
P oposa by uke Esser Nick Federici
In response :
City
State Legis . Administrative
April 11, 2018
Luke Esser
Attorney & Govt. Affairs
M: (425) 736-6067
Iukeesser@aol.com
Nick Federici
Nick Federici Govt. Relations
M: (360) 481-1936
nickfederici@gmail.com
39
Luke Esser
Attorney & Govt. Affairs
M: (425) 736-6067
lukeesser@aol.com
City of Yakima
Clerks Office
129 No. 2nd St.
Yakima, WA 98901
Nick Federici
Nick Federici (ovt. Dela
M; (360) 481-1936
nickfederici*gmail.com
April 11, 2018
40
RE: RFP No. 11813P, State Legislative and Administrative Advocacy Services
Thank you for this opportunity to respond to the City of Yakima's RFP No. 11813P
regarding State Legislative and Administrative Advocacy Services.
This Proposal from our joint lobbying team of Luke Esser and Nick Federici provides the
City of Yakima with the opportunity to retain two veteran Olympia advocates for one
price. We offer a unique and ideologically balanced combination of experience from
both sides of the aisle, with a proven record of results for our clients, including notably
the City of Spokane and the Washington Association of Local Public Health Officials.
Luke's professional background is mostly from the right side of the political spectrum.
He served as a Republican State Legislator from Bellevue (four years each in the State
House and State Senate), Chairman of the Washington State Republican Party, and as
Outreach Director at the Washington State Attorney General's Office. Luke has been a
licensed attorney in the state since 1989 and a full-time, registered lobbyist since 2011.
Nick's background is mostly from the left side of the political spectrum. His father was a
Democratic State Representative in Oregon, and Nick has deep relationships with
Democratic leadership in Olympia and progressive organizations throughout the state.
Nick has worked in Olympia since 1991, and as a full-time, registered lobbyist since
1994, representing over 40 clients on a wide variety of topics.
We take great professional satisfaction in helping our clients to achieve their goals, and
we are proud of the public policy improvements and the literally tens of millions of
dollars that we have helped our local government clients to obtain within the last year.
It would be an honor for us to similarly represent the City of Yakima before the State
Legislature, Governor's Office and the administrative agencies of state government.
Thank you again for the opportunity to introduce ourselves, to submit this Proposal, and
to express our eagerness to assist the City of Yakima in achieving its legislative and
administrative goals in 2019 and beyond.
Sincerely,
.1'
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SECTION 1: OUR OVERARCHING PRINCIPLES
The following are the overarching principles that guide us year-round in our advocacy
work on behalf of all of our clients in Olympia and throughout the state:
• Represent our clients in an ethical and professional manner
• Treat everyone with courtesy and civility
• Earn respect and credibility through thorough preparation on every issue
• Maintain open lines of communication and remain accessible
• Keep our word
• There is no substitute for personal contact with key decision -makers
• The Legislative Session begins long before Opening Day
• The Legislative Session isn't over until the Governor takes action on the last bill
• State agencies never adjourn for the year
SECTION 2: THE UNIQUE ADVANTAGES WE PROVIDE
Our analysis of the information provided in the City of Yakima's RFP No. 11813P, the
City's adopted 2017-18 State Legislative and Administrative Priorities, the City's
adopted 2017-18 Federal Legislative and Administrative Priorities, and our knowledge
of the issues impacting local governments in our state today indicates that our advocacy
team is uniquely qualified to help deliver the type of results that a major, growing,
diverse city like Yakima deserves. Following is an explanation of the five major
advantages that we can offer to the City of Yakima.
I. PROVEN RESULTS FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT CLIENTS
We are proud of the positive results that we have helped to deliver for our local
government clients in recent years. The successes we have achieved for the City of
Spokane, for the Washington Association of Local Public Health Officials and on the
issue of increased funding for homelessness and housing programs reflect exactly the
kind of successes in the fields of public policy and budget appropriations that we expect
to deliver for the City of Yakima.
City of Spokane
Like the City of Yakima, the City of Spokane is one of the major cities in our state and
faces a number of challenges in serving its diverse and growing population. Since we
were hired by the City of Spokane in 2016 we have delivered multiple successes for the
City on both policy issues and budget appropriations.
During our work for the City of Spokane we have tackled challenging areas of policy that
require negotiations with multiple stakeholders of vastly different backgrounds. We have
not limited ourselves to simple bills that attract no opposition. And we have competed
effectively with other local governments for the limited dollars available in the state's
Capital Budget, Operating Budget and Transportation Budget, winning major victories
along the way. The following examples detail just a few of those successes.
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POLICY: Nick's hard work over the last 18 months on the issue of providing cities with a
tool to use in addressing the nuisances created by abandoned and foreclosed homes
paid off last month when Gov. Inslee signed 2nd Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2057.
This bill allows cities, following notice, to abate nuisances at abandoned homes and bill
the financial institution holding the mortgage for the cost of abatement. Our efforts
began when the City of Spokane alerted us to the problem of "zombie houses" that were
attracting graffiti, squatters and rats. The negotiations between lobbyists representing
cities, banks and consumer advocates consumed countless meetings, bill drafts and
strategy sessions. And then the opponents put on a furious campaign after the session
to encourage the Governor to veto the bill. But through persistence and a strategy that
focused on a win -win-win solution, Nick and a handful of other city lobbyists were able
to craft and pass a solution that benefits all cities across the state.
FISCAL: We helped to obtain substantial new resources for the City of Spokane in the
Biennial Capital Budget (adopted in January), but did not stop our efforts there. We
knew there could be additional funding opportunities in a Supplemental Capital Budget,
so we immediately went to work advocating for further resources. These efforts helped
to ensure that when the Supplemental Capital Budget was adopted in March it
contained an additional $3.9 million for projects in the City of Spokane. Between the two
Capital Budgets of 2018, funded projects we were able to secure include:
❑ $2.5 million for dental clinics in the City of Spokane
❑ $2.4 million for the facilities of the Spokane Diversion Project (diverting
appropriate low-level offenders from incarceration to behavioral health treatment)
❑ $2 million for the acquisition of pristine riverfront property on the Spokane River
that will be managed by the City of Spokane Parks Department
❑ $1.1 million to develop the South Gorge Trail, a riverfront trail that will be located
just west of Downtown Spokane
❑ $2.7 million in restored funding for the City of Spokane's stormwater system
We pride ourselves on being resourceful for our clients and exploring multiple possible
paths for success if one particular path is blocked. For example, when it became clear
that Capital Budget funds would not be available for a particular park bridge in
Downtown Spokane, we worked to ensure that $300,000 of Transportation Budget
funds were appropriated so that the project could still proceed.
Washington State Association of Local Public Health Officials
The Washington State Association of Local Public Health Officials (WSALPHO) is an
affiliate of the Washington State Association of Counties and the National Association of
County and City Health Officials. WSALPHO's current challenge is dealing with
increasingly complex public health issues despite increasingly limited resources.
In 2016 and 2017 we represented WSALPHO in their effort to obtain improved policy
and substantial new funding for Foundational Public Health Services (FPHS are the
core public health services needed in every community). This was not going to be easy
in a 2017 Legislative Session dominated by discussions about how to fund the K-12
public education funding mandates of the McCleary decision. After a long process of
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coalition building and personal engagement with key legislators, the Legislature
appropriated $10 million in new funding for FPHS in the 2017-19 Operating Budget.
Further, when it became clear that a separate policy bill was not going to make it all the
way through the legislative process, we were able to ensure that proviso language was
included in the 2017-19 Operating Budget that helped to advance the funding and policy
goals of WSALPHO and local public health officials throughout the state.
A great deal of the advocacy involved in this effort was in successfully developing,
managing, and maintaining the coalition of supportive interests, including
representatives from diverse local health jurisdictions across the state (including Andre
Fresco, Executive Director of the Yakima Health District), health care industry partners,
local elected officials, and the Washington State Department of Health, to shape final
outcomes that were workable for each of the participants.
Document Recording Fee For Local Government Housing Assistance
Nick originated the idea of using real estate document recording fees as a funding
source for cities and counties to address homelessness and promote affordable housing
back in 2000, and he has since led the effort to reauthorize or increase this funding on
six occasions. The most recent success occurred during the 2018 Legislative Session,
when an increase in the document recording fee was authorized that will generate an
additional $21.6 million per year for local governments to fund desperately -needed
homelessness and affordable housing programs throughout the state.
We encourage you to speak with our local government references, and with our other
references as well, if you desire further information about the successes that we have
helped to deliver for our clients.
II. EXPERIENCED REPRESENTATION, ALWAYS
If our proposal is accepted, it is important to note that the City of Yakima's business will
never be delegated to an intern, junior associate or recent college graduate. Luke and
Nick personally perform all of the lobbying work for our clients and we do not outsource
any of our advocacy work.
Luke is the junior member of the team in terms of legislative experience, and he has
been working in Olympia for 20 years (since he was elected to the State House in 1998)
and has been a full-time, registered lobbyist since 2011. Nick has been working in
Olympia since 1991, and as a full-time, registered lobbyist since 1994.
While some city lobbyists work alone and others hire junior staffers, associates or
subcontractors, we find that joining together as a team that has a veteran advocate
present during every single contact on behalf of our clients give us the best possible
chance of achieving success for our clients.
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111. BALANCE & TEAMWORK
Both Luke and Nick have considerable experience working in a bipartisan fashion in
Olympia, and both frequently interact regularly and constructively with Democratic and
Republican legislators and with executive branch staff. But there is no doubt that having
deep relationships in all four caucuses, and with the Governor's Office, is a strategic
asset that should never be underestimated. And it is very difficult for any one person to
have that level of deep relationships with all four caucuses.
This is the advantage that our ideologically balanced team can provide. Nick's
background is predominantly from the left side of the political spectrum and Luke's
background is predominantly from the right. Nick has deep and longstanding
relationships with top leadership in both Democratic caucuses and among progressive
stakeholders, and Luke is a former Republican legislator (having served in both the
State House and State Senate) and former Chair of the State Republican Party.
Our unique advocacy team allows for a division of responsibilities, which is particularly
helpful in the recent era of closely -divided government in Olympia. Also, since there are
147 legislators and countless staff, it is a considerable benefit to have two experienced
lobbyists who can be lobbying different legislators on the City of Yakima's behalf at the
exact same time, especially during the most frantic points of the legislative session
when you really do need to be in two places at the same time.
IV. EFFECTIVE NETWORKING
We are active and regular participants at AWC-sponsored meetings of city lobbyists that
are held weekly during the Legislative Session and intermittently during the interim. Not
every city lobbyist or lobbyist team participates actively in these meetings, but we find
them essential for both information gathering and for creating coalitions of city lobbyists
from around the state on issues of common interest.
The City of Yakima deserves a lobbying team committed to investing the time and effort
necessary to achieve the City's priorities. We prioritize networking opportunities such as
the AWC-sponsored meetings because of our commitment to making every effort
possible to help our local government clients accomplish their fiscal and policy goals.
In addition, we both possess considerable experience in working with outside
stakeholders, activating coalitions and building alliances to increase the number of
legislators around the state concerned with a particular issue and to maximize the
chance of a successful outcome for our clients.
V. STRONG ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF YAKIMA PRIORITIES
We commend the City for placing both its State and Federal Legislative and
Administrative Priorities online for citizens and stakeholders to review. Upon analysis of
these documents it is clear that our professional background and skill set aligns very
well with the city's priorities.
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Nick has considerable experience going back decades working on homelessness and
affordable housing issues, and has been deeply involved with efforts to develop
sustainable state and local revenue options to protect critical government services. Nick
originated the idea of using real estate document recording fees as a funding source for
homeless and housing assistance in 2000, and has since led efforts to reauthorize or
increase this funding on six occasions, most recently in the 2018 Session.
Luke has first-hand experience with the state's transportation budget dating back to his
time as a member of the Senate Transportation Committee and with the state's capital
budget going back to his time as Co -Vice Chair of the House Capital Budget
Committee. Luke is also very familiar with the Basic Law Enforcement Academy (BLEA)
issue and worked closely with other city lobbyists and AWC staff to help procure funding
for an additional BLEA class this year, though more work remains to be done.
Our client the City of Spokane has faced many of the same challenges confronting the
City of Yakima on issues like adequate funding for indigent defense costs and curbing
abusive public records requests, so we are very familiar with these issues and with the
coalition efforts that will be necessary to solve these problems.
SECTION 3. PROJECT APPROACH
We propose to deliver the entire scope of services specified in the RFP, and further
services not specified in the RFP, through the strategies and tactics that we detail in this
current section of our Proposal. This project approach has proven itself time and again
for our local government clients and for all the clients we represent. Following is both a
comprehensive description in an outline format of the strategies and tactics we propose
to utilize in our legislative and administrative advocacy, followed by a work plan that
describes in a chronological format how we approach the work of preparing for
legislative victories in Olympia.
I. STRATEGIES & TACTICS
EARLY PREPARATION AVOIDS LEGISLATIVE BOTTLENECKS
• The State Legislature is in many ways designed to make it difficult to pass bills
and make changes to state law.
• Understanding where the pitfalls and bottlenecks inherent in the process are
located provides an opportunity to navigate around them.
• Preparations for a successful Legislative Session must begin long before
Opening Day in January.
• With multiple Special Sessions recently becoming more common, preparation
and readiness year-round is even more important.
AVOIDING SURPRISES: MONITORING THREATS & OPPORTUNITIES
• State agencies never adjourn for the year, so their policies, implementation plans
and agenda development must be constantly monitored.
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• We provide year-round monitoring, identification and analysis of key legislative
and regulatory processes.
• Continuous review of AWC policy developments, of activity by other stakeholders
and interest groups, and of political developments in general in the state.
• This "early warning system" on behalf of the City can be invaluable in identifying
both threats and opportunities.
DEVELOPMENT OF LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES
• We propose to take an early "deep dive" into issues of priority for the City.
• Based on the "deep dive" we provide legislative and regulatory strategic advice,
including a variety of substantive and strategic options.
• Work with City Council and appropriate City staff on development, preparation
and finalization of City's Legislative Priorities for 2019.
DRAFTING DOCUMENTS
• Upon adoption of Legislative Priorities, we will work with City Council and
appropriate City staff to flesh out individual bills and appropriation requests.
• Assist in initial drafting of legislation.
• Coordinate with Office of Code Reviser in determining final bill language.
Assist in preparation of appropriation requests, for the Capital Budget, the
Operating Budget and the Transportation Budget.
• Throughout the year, assist in the drafting of proposed state legislation,
amendments and regulations.
IDENTIFY KEY LEGISLATORS FOR BILLS & APPROPRIATION REQUESTS
• Work with, and serve as liaison to, local legislative delegations.
• Secure Prime Sponsors for policy bills and "Champions" for appropriation
requests (in Capital Budget and Operating Budget and Transportation Budget).
• Arrange bipartisan groups of Co -Sponsors for policy bilis and "Supporters" for
appropriation requests.
PREPARE A SMOOTH PATH WITH COMMITTEE CHAIRS & LEADERSHIP
• Acquaint committee chairs and leadership regarding the City's priority bills and
appropriation requests early in the process.
• Obtain public hearings where necessary.
ORCHESTRATING PERSUASIVE COMMITTEE TESTIMONY
• Scheduling public hearings for City policy bills at times convenient for testifiers.
• Laying the foundation for a favorable reception with committee members in
advance of the public hearings.
• Working with Councilmembers and appropriate City staff in preparing testimony.
• Delivering testimony as representatives of the City when necessary.
AFTER THE PUBLIC HEARING
• Persuade Committee Chair to allow vote on City's bill.
• Secure sufficient votes for committee passage.
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• Obtain Rules Committee pulls.
• Persuade Floor Leader and other leadership to allow bill to the Floor,
• Secure sufficient votes for passage off the Floor.
• Repeat process in the Opposite House.
REPRESENTATION & OUTREACH
• Professionally and ethically represent the interests of the City of Yakima before
members of the State Legislature, Governor's Office and state agencies.
• Coordinate with other like-minded local governments and the Association of
Washington Cities.
• Build alliances with other stakeholders committed to the adoption of the City's
legislative priorities through strong leadership, coalition building, and activation.
COMMUNICATIONS & ACCESSIBILITY
• Comprehensive and timely communication on all matters of interest.
• We pride ourselves on being accessible to our clients via phone, text and email.
• Deliver weekly updates during the Legislative Session (and monthly the rest of
the year) in the format desired by the City, including regularly -scheduled
teleconferences and in-person meetings as desired and feasible.
• Provide written post -session summary of relevant legislative activity, particularly
with regard to the City's adopted Legislative Priorities.
II. LEGISLATIVE WORK PLAN
Following is the work plan, in chronological format, that we propose to employ for our
legislative efforts on behalf of the City. This work plan is designed to provide the best
opportunity for the City to achieve its legislative goals in 2019 and beyond:
A. Deep Dive
The first step upon the commencement of contract work on September 1, 2018, will be
for Nick and Luke to take a "deep dive" into the issues affecting the City of Yakima, and
immerse ourselves with both the pressing challenges and available opportunities. We
will be working with the elected leaders and key staff as a prelude to helping the City to
strategically develop a set of legislative priorities for 2019 that is aligned with the most
important issues facing the City, its residents and key stakeholders.
As part of this effort, we will also meet with members of the Yakima -area legislative
delegations (particularly those from Legislative Districts 14 and 15) to understand their
perspectives and promote their continued familiarity and strong leadership on behalf of
the City of Yakima, as well as learning of their personal priorities that may fit with the
City's agenda. These local legislators, obviously, are the best voices for advocating
within the Legislature on behalf of the region's needs, and a number of the City of
Yakima's local legislators hold key leadership positions in important topic areas,
regardless of which party is in the majority: Senator King on Transportation, Senator
Honeyford on the Capital Budget, Representative Chandler on the Operating Budget,
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Representative Taylor on the House Local Government Committee, and Representative
McCabe on the House Community Development, Housing & Tribal Affairs Committee,
to cite just the most obvious examples.
B. Developing Legislative Priorities
We strongly recommend that the City finalize its 2019 Legislative Priorities by the end of
October. We have found that the period following the General Election and before the
Christmas/Winter holidays (roughly from early November through mid-December) is an
excellent time to acquaint legislators with the priorities of our clients for the upcoming
session. So having the Legislative Priorities finalized by the end of October will provide
an optimum amount of time for the necessary work program we propose.
We understand that the preparation of the Legislative Priorities for a city government
requires adequate time for public input and for careful deliberation among policymakers.
And of course we will do our best to make whatever timeline is ultimately adopted work
to the City's advantage. However, we consider it our professional obligation to offer you
our candid advice, which is that adopting the Legislative Priorities as soon as
practicable provides the best chance of success in achieving the goals of the City by the
time the State Legislature adjourns for the year.
Some organizations wait until November or even December to finalize adoption of their
legislative priorities, which drastically limits the amount of time available to make a "top -
of -mind" impression with legislators. A late start also limits the ability to find bill sponsors
and to pre -file bills so that they may be scheduled early in the session, before the mad
rush that ensues as the first policy committee deadlines come into view.
This early start is particularly advisable in advance of next year's "long session" of the
State Legislature when the biennial budgets will be adopted. There are widespread
expectations that the 2019-21 Operating Budget will be particularly difficult to write and
to balance (for both fiscal and political reasons), and that the Capital Budget might not
be much easier. So everything points to the value of an early start, and since the City's
Legislative Priorities are the foundation of all the advocacy activities that will be
undertaken, we urge an early adoption of the 2019 Legislative Priorities.
C. Securing and Activating Allies and Coalitions
Coalitions always have an easier path to success than do individual entities (whether
that individual entity be a local government, business, union or other). Therefore, finding
allies for individual elements of the City's Legislative Priorities is a crucial step in
achieving ultimate success for the City. We would suggest building or enhancing
relationships with like-minded local governments from around the state, with the
Association of Washington Cities and with other key stakeholders.
We enjoyed great success last year in bringing together a bipartisan group of Spokane -
area legislators to meet personally with the Spokane City Council in November and
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share priorities for the upcoming legislative session. This early engagement paid big
dividends when many of these local legislators proved to be strong advocates and
champions for the City of Spokane's legislative priorities during the 2018 session.
D. Identifying Prime Sponsors for City's 2019 Policy Bills
Oftentimes the difference between success or failure for a bill can be how doggedly the
Prime Sponsor is willing to fight for it. A motivated Prime Sponsor can be essential to a
bill getting out of a policy committee, getting out of Rules Committee, and getting to the
Floor for a vote. So identifying a strong Prime Sponsor is an important first step in
launching a new bill with a strong tailwind toward adoption.
E. Identifying "Champions" for City's 2019 Appropriation Requests
Similarly, the success of failure of a particular appropriation request (whether in the
Operating Budget, Capital Budget or the Transportation Budget) can often come down
to how vigorously a key legislator is fighting for it to be included in the final budget. We
refer to these key legislators as "Champions" for a particular appropriation, and we
consider identifying at least one strong Champion in each house for each desired
appropriation to be an important task in our work plan.
F. Arrange for Drafting of City's 2019 Policy Bills
Working with the appropriate city staff and the designated Prime Sponsor and their staff
for each policy bill, arrange to have the bill drafted in the proper format, and early
enough to be pre -filed, by the Office of the Code Reviser in Olympia.
G. Identifying Co -Sponsors for City's 2019 Policy Bills
It is always desirable to have a bipartisan list of bill sponsors from both the State House
and State Senate, but this has become essential during the recent era of closely -divided
government in Olympia. We will therefore seek a bipartisan list of bill co-sponsors, with
an emphasis on the members who serve on the committee where a particular bill will be
assigned and those who serve on the Rules Committee, both of whom can be very
helpful later in the process.
H. Identifying "Supporters" for City's 2019 Appropriation Requests
Just as it is desirable to have a bipartisan list of bill sponsors for a proposed bill, it is
also helpful to have a bipartisan roster of supporters for the appropriation requests (for
the Operating Budget, Capital Budget and Transportation Budget) that the City has
identified as priorities for the 2019 Legislative Session.
I. Pre -file Policy Bills for 2019 Regular Session
By allowing enough lead time in the process to pre -file bills, we will be in a better
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position to arrange public hearings early in the Legislative Session, before the mad rush
that ensues as the first Policy Committee Cutoff Day approaches.
J. Arrange Early Contact with Policy Chairs, Leadership & Governor's Office
We will target members of the relevant policy committee for co-sponsorship of bills, and
will continue to touch base with them throughout the committee process, ensuring that
members of Leadership from both parties in both houses and the Governor's Office are
engaged with the City's priority bills.
K. Arrange Public Hearings with Committee Chairs
After coordination with City staff and with the elected leaders from the City who will be
testifying on behalf of specific bills, we will arrange public hearings in the policy
committees for the City's policy bills, as early as we can in the Legislative Session. For
policy bills with a fiscal impact of more than $50,000 it will be important to arrange for an
early contact with the appropriate fiscal committee chair and staff, as well.
L. Passage of City Policy Bills through Fiscal Committees
Our goal is always to have committee members favorably inclined toward a client's bills
before they are even heard in committee, and to then use the public hearing as an
opportunity to drive home the strongest arguments in support of the legislation and allay
any lingering concerns.
M. Passage of Policy Bills through Fiscal Committees
For those policy bills with a fiscal impact of more than $50,000, the early contact with
the fiscal committee chair mentioned earlier will now pay dividends as the bill must be
scheduled for a public hearing in the fiscal committee and the votes gathered to assure
safe passage out of the fiscal committee.
N. Passage of Policy Bills through the Rules Committee
One final step before the Floor that is painfully ignored by some is procuring the "pulls"
in the Rules Committee needed for a bill to even reach the Floor. As described in G.
above, when we seek co-sponsors for bills we are already thinking about future Rules
Committee pulls, and thus are in the best possible position to have the City's priority
bills continue to advance through the process.
0. Arrange for and Count Votes for Floor Vote
Utilizing the influence of the Prime Sponsor and Co -Sponsors, and working with the
appropriate Floor Leader and others in leadership, we will arrange for the City's policy
bills to receive a floor vote and canvass legislators to assure that the votes necessary
for passage have been procured.
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P. Repeat Steps K -O above for Opposite House
Getting a policy bill passed in one house is only part of the job. Usually we try to have
companion bills in both the House and Senate for our clients, so that each chamber is
already familiar with the legislation by the time that bills from the opposite house are
considered. This helps to smooth the road to ultimate passage.
Q. Persuading the Governor to Sign Off on the City's Policy Bills
This will not be the first time that the Governor and his staff have heard of our bills
because of the outreach mentioned in J. above. We will continue to reach out to them
throughout the legislative process and return to the Governor's Office with our strongest
arguments yet at the end of the process, since the policy bills in question will have
passed through both the House and Senate. As we mentioned in our "Overarching
Principles" above, the Legislative Session is not over until the Governor takes action on
the final bill.
R. Administrative Implementation and Regulatory Action
For legislation that is enacted by the Legislature and signed by the Governor, there is of
course much work left to be done implementing the new law by state and other
administrative agencies. We will work with the City of Yakima and any appropriate state
and local agencies to ensure that the City's vision of legislation and funding is followed
in implementation and in development of any new or modified regulations.
As we often point out, administrative agencies never adjourn, so monitoring their
activities is critical to preparing an agenda that advances and defends the City's needs
and desires. Fortunately, because of Nick's background as former agency staff, his
long-time collaborative role with many state agencies (including representing a number
as clients or in coalition with clients), and his extensive experience with a diverse range
of policy issues, he has numerous strong connections in the Governor's Office and
among a wide variety of state agency staff and leadership. This will help the City of
Yakima work with state agencies to achieve its goals, including identifying and acting on
potential grants and other funding opportunities.
S. Repeat
If we are fortunate enough to work with the City in future sessions of the State
Legislature, we would repeat these same steps each year in preparation for future
successes, modified as needed and desired based on any changed circumstances.
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SECTION 4. GENERAL DESCRIPTION & QUALIFICATIONS
OUR STRUCTURE
Luke Esser and Nick Federici both operate as sole proprietors. We team up to jointly
represent several of our clients (especially local government clients), but represent
several other clients separately. We both rent seasonal lodging in Olympia during the
Legislative Session to maintain an "on the ground" presence every single day. During
the rest of the year, Nick works out of his home office in Tacoma and Luke works out of
his home office in Bellevue, and we maintain the same open access to communication
year-round, so that at least one of us is always "on call" for urgent issues or actions. A
comprehensive list of our current and former clients is contained within our resumes at
the end of this Proposal.
FURTHER REPRESENTATIVE PROJECTS UNDERTAKEN
In addition to the successes for the City of Spokane, the Washington State Association
of Local Public Health Officials, and on the issue of document recording fees being used
for local government homelessness and affordable housing programs that we discussed
above in this Proposal, we offer these further instances of representative projects
undertaken by us in the last five years:
•Luke and his colleagues at Amerigroup Washington (a managed care organization
providing health care coverage for Medicaid clients) were confronted in the 2016
Session with a proposal by committee staff to save money by switching a population of
blind and disabled individuals and seniors requiring nursing home level care from
managed care to fee-for-service. Through extensive direct contact with key lawmakers
we persuaded them that this proposal was a false economy that, if implemented, would
end up harming care for fragile populations and costing the state far more money.
•Luke and Nick helped obtain a first -in -the -nation retirement benefit for home care
workers during the 2015 Legislative Session on behalf of SEIU 775 (the union
representing home care workers), despite opposition from a range of interests in the
financial services industry. We assembled a broad coalition of senior advocates from
across the state who helped us win support for the proposal. To address the concerns
of budget -writers and legislative leadership worried about fiscal bow waves, the
retirement benefit was structured as a fiscally -responsible "defined contribution" benefit
to assure that there would be no unexpected funding shortfalls in the future. Anticipating
the concerns of potential opponents and addressing those concerns in advance is a
strategy that we frequently employ.
•Nick led the multi-year on -the -ground lobbying effort to pass "Breakfast After the Bell"
legislation and obtain the funding for implementation, on behalf of United Ways. This
legislation requires high -poverty schools across the state to provide options for students
to obtain breakfast after the beginning of the school day. There were myriad technical
and jurisdictional issues to resolve in moving this legislation forward, including handling
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initial opposition from a number of statewide educational administration organizations
who were highly sensitive about any new unfunded education mandates on top of the
ongoing McCleary situation. Nick worked with the concerned organizations, including
state agencies such as the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the
State Board of Education, to ensure that the language was technically correct and
acceptably nuanced, and that requested funding covered the needs of school districts.
Nick also directed the messaging and helped successfully manage a coalition of dozens
of organizations, including strong national partners with a diverse range of interests, in
pushing the bill forward. Each successive year of work on the legislation brought new
technical and political hurdles, but also added additional stakeholder and legislative
allies. In the end, HB 1508 passed by a strong bipartisan vote in 2018 (87-8 in the
House and 43-5 in the Senate) and was signed by the Governor. In addition, Nick was
able to ensure that $1.2 million was included in the 2018 Supplemental Operating
Budget for the first year of implementation by school districts statewide.
.Also in 2018, Nick was the lead lobbyist for two bills (SB 6413 and HB 2658) that were
enacted into law banning toxic perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals (PFAS) from
firefighting foam and consumer products. These two bills are the first successful
legislative bans of these chemicals anywhere in the nation. PFAS chemicals used in
firefighting foam contaminated the ground water in Airway Heights, Issaquah, and
Whidbey Island, resulting in unsafe drinking water and the need to install millions of
dollars in testing and filtering equipment. SB 6413 bans these chemicals in civilian
firefighting uses, and passed the Legislature with strong bipartisan support (39-8 in the
Senate and 72-26 in the House) despite strong opposition from major national and
statewide business organizations. The keys to success were three -fold: (1) there was
clear evidence of environmental harm and human contamination that was easy to
demonstrate; (2) it was sponsored by Senator Kevin Van De Wege, himself a firefighter,
which gave the bill additional credibility; and (3) it was supported by a strong and
diverse coalition of advocates we assembled, including firefighters, Fire Chiefs, local
municipalities whose groundwater had been contaminated, environmental and public
health organizations, and organizations representing persons with disabilities.
The second PFAS bill, HB 2658, was much more sweeping, banning these same
chemicals in paper food packaging, where it can leach out into food products and
consumers' bodies. Nick's role was to shepherd the bill through the process, building on
intense negotiations by the scientists and staff of his client with the Governor's Office,
the Washington State Department of Ecology, and the Washington State Department of
Health. Nick and his clients worked closely with leadership and staff of these state
agencies, to ensure that the science was supportable and the implementation plan
practical. Over the course of several months, this negotiation resulted in a number of
compromises, including postponing the ban until after development of a chemical action
plan and research by the Washington State Department of Ecology (DOE) to confirm
that there are safer alternatives available. Nick's strategy was to piggy -back this bill
directly on SB 6413, which had provided the education for legislators that these
chemicals were dangerous in groundwater, and therefore should not be in food
packaging either. In addition, we were able to secure the rare support of the
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Washington Hospitality Association, which represents the state's restaurants. Their
enthusiastic and active support of the legislation, in the face of opposition from other
powerful peer business organizations, was a game -changer. On Nick's
recommendation, a number of business -friendly changes were made to the legislation
to accommodate the needs of the Hospitality Association, and a number of suggested
amendments were accepted from the chemical industry, despite their opposition to the
legislation. These good -faith compromises, combined with a thoughtful administrative
and regulatory approach through DOE and the science demonstrated by the
groundwater contamination, helped facilitate passage of this landmark consumer
protection law, despite the vociferous opposition of national and statewide business
organizations. Because of their opposition, the votes were still bipartisan (56-41 in the
House and 30-17 in the Senate), but not as overwhelming as for SB 6412. In the short
2018 Legislative Session, HB 2658 was the only Environmental Community Priority to
pass successfully into law.
PERFORMANCE INDICATORS / RETURN ON INVESTMENT
Luke Esser and Nick Federici understand the City will develop performance indicators to
measure its return on investment for the services provided. Based on our performance
on behalf of our local government clients and other clients, we are confident that we will
deliver a robust ROI if allowed the privilege of representing the City of Yakima.
The policy and fiscal successes that we have recently helped our local government
clients to achieve in the City of Spokane (more than $10 million in Capital Budget
projects alone this year) and for the Washington State Association of Local Public
Health Officials ($10 million in new appropriations in the 2017-19 Biennial Operating
Budget) provide the most direct evidence of the considerable level of ROI that we could
be expected to deliver for the City of Yakima.
We also acknowledge our willingness to execute the City's Standard Professional
Agreement and to maintain the required insurance coverages.
PROPOSED MONTHLY FEE
Luke Esser and Nick Federici propose to provide the complete package of legislative
and administrative advocacy services described in this Proposal for a total of $5,000 per
month ($2,500 per month each). For this proposed monthly fee the City will receive the
committed efforts of two veteran lobbyists, each with decades of experience in Olympia.
Monthly fee retainers are the most common compensation structure for agreements in
Washington between contract lobbyists and clients, including local governments. We
have attempted to use other forms of fee structure in the past, with little success, as a
flat monthly fee provides the greatest predictability and ease of budgeting for all
involved. If there are alternatives that the City of Yakima would prefer discussing, we
are quite open to considering other ideas.
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REFERENCES
Three business references for both Luke Esser and Nick Federici:
1 Candace Mumm, Councilmember & Chair — Legislative Team
City of Spokane
Spokane City Hall, 7th Floor
808 W Spokane Falls Blvd.
Spokane, WA 99201
M: (509) 703-2863
cmumm@spokanecity.org
Adam Glickman, Secretary -Treasurer
SEIU 775
215 Columbia St.
Seattle, WA 98104
M: (206) 295-9613
adam.glickman@seiu775.org
3. Jeff Ketchel, Legislative Committee Co -Chair
Washington State Association of Local Public Health Officials
Environmental Health Director, Snohomish Health District
3020 Rucker Avenue
Everett, WA 98201
W: (425) 339-5200
jketchel@snohd.org
Two business references for Luke Esser:
1. Chris Strow, Former Director of Government Affairs
Amerigroup Washington
(Now Deputy Controller, Idaho State Controller's Office)
700 W State St.
Boise, ID 83720
M: (206) 419-0371
cstrow@sco.idaho.gov
Joe Sprague, Executive Director
Washington State Catholic Conference
(Former Senior V.P at Alaska Airlines)
710 Ninth Ave.
Seattle, WA 98104
M: (206) 605-2476
joe.sprague@thewscc.org
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Two business references for Nick Federici:
1. Jim Cooper, President and CEO
United Ways of the Pacific Northwest (Washington, Oregon, Idaho)
(Also Member, Olympia City Council)
1211 Fourth Avenue East, Suite 101
Olympia, WA 98506
M: (360) 451-9053
jim@uwpnw.org
2. Kim Herman, Executive Director
Washington State Housing Finance Commission
1000 2nd Avenue, Suite 2700
Seattle, Washington 98104
W: (206) 464-7139
kim.herman@wshfc.org
General References for Luke Esser: Bob Ferguson, current Democratic Attorney
General, and Rob McKenna, former Republican Attorney General. Contact information
available upon request.
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Luke Esser, Attorney & Government Affairs
404 — 158th Place SE, Bellevue, WA 98008
M: (425) 736-6067 lukeesser@1aol.com
Government Affairs Experience
Government Affairs Consultant, 2011 -Present: Committed to using my decades of experience
in Olympia to help clients achieve their goals through government affairs, public relations and
relationship -building services. Licensed Attorney since 1989, Registered Lobbyist since 2011.
Current Clients: City of Spokane, the Kalispel Tribe of Indians (from Pend Oreille County),
SEIU 775 (union representing Medicaid -paid home care workers), Signature Healthcare Services
(California-based operator of mental health hospitals), Washington State Catholic Conference.
Previous Clients: Washington State Association of Local Public Health Officials, Amerigroup
Washington (state affiliate of Anthem insurance company), H2V Tech (startup clean energy
company), Cowlitz Tribe of Indians, King County Alliance for Human Services.
Legislative & Political Experience
Chairman, Washington State Republican Party, 2007-2010: Served two terms, with GOP
making gains in both chambers of Legislature in every election held during tenure as Chairman.
State Senator, 48th District, 2003-2006: Majority Floor Leader, 2003-04; Minority Floor
Leader, 2005-06; Chairman of Senate Technology & Communications Committee, 2003;
Member of Senate Rules Committee, 2004-06; Member of Senate Transportation Committee and
Senate Judiciary Committee, 2003-06; Member of Boeing 787 Five Corners Alliance in 2003.
State Representative, 48th District, 1999-2002: Co -Vice Chair of House Capital Budget
Committee, 1999-2001; Member of House Judiciary Committee and House Higher Education
Committee, 1999-2002; Member of Code Reviser's Committee, 2001-02; Member of Municipal
Research & Services Center Advisory Board, 2001-02.
Legislative Awards (partial): 2006 "Legislator of the Year" award from Washington State
Council of Police & Sheriffs; "Cornerstone Award" from Association of Washington Business
every year from 2002-2006; 2004 "State Official of the Year" from the National Association of
Home Builders; 2004 "Certificate of Appreciation" from SPEEA for helping to land the 787 for
the state; 2003 "Legislator of the Year" from Washington Tow Truck Association; 2001 "Star
Award" from Bellevue Community College Trustees for support of the state's community
colleges; 2001 "Housing Supporter" award from Washington Low Income Housing Network;
2000 "Guardian of Small Business" award from National Federation of Independent Business.
Other Professional Experience: Outreach Director for Washington State Attorney General's
Office, 2005-06; Policy Director for King County Councilman Rob McKenna, 1995-2004;
Special Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, King County Juvenile Court, 1989-90.
Education: Executive MBA, University of Washington Foster School of Business, 2013
(Valedictorian & 1st in Class); J.D., University of Washington School of Law, 1989; Bachelor's
degrees in Accounting and Editorial Journalism, University of Washington, 1985.
Personal: A Bellevue native, finished fourth in state at the 1979 Washington High School
Debate Tournament, and a former member of the Pro Football Writers of America.
59
C K F E R (7, I 2714 NORTH ALDER STREET, TACOMA, WA 98407
360-481-1936 NICKFEDEIIICIVOMALL.COM
I am a strategic advocate who passionately pursues creative and collaborative
solutions that result in better government and access to services that improve the
lives of the residents of Washington.
SUMMARY
More than 20 years of experience in the public policy, political strategy and advocacy
arenas, developing and implementing forward -thinking policies to achieve significant
quality of life improvements for all, particularly the most vulnerable. Skills exemplified:
LI Lobbying
Lil Relationship Building
CI Strategic Consulting
D Budget & Policy Analysis
D Advocacy and Public Speaking
E Legislative Testimony & Engagement
EXPERIENCE
Li Coalition Building & Leadership
Li Stakeholder Collaboration
Li Community Outreach
11 Expertise in Health Care, Housing,
Human Service, Operating Budget,
Capital Budget, and Revenue Policy
NICK FEDERICI GOVE ' ENT RELATIONS 1997 to P' SENT
An individually -owned lobbying firm focused on lobbying on behalf of and offering
strategic advice to local governments, not -for -profits and business organizations with
social justice, health, housing and human service -related missions.
Principal
Catalyst for local governments, not -for -profits and business organizations to develop and
prioritize annual and long-term public policy agendas. Strategize on public policy
opportunities and lead advocacy efforts with the State Legislature, Governor's Office,
administrative agencies, Congressional delegation and staff, external organizations,
media, and the public. Provide extensive direct lobbying with public officials through in-
person meetings, phone and email communications. Draft legislation, amendments, and
other materials as needed. Monitor developments and provide regular oral and written
reports to organization leadership and staff. Build and maintain coalitions.
Li Originated the idea of using real estate document recording fees as a funding source
for homeless and housing assistance in 2000, and then led effort to reauthorize or
increase this funding on six occasions, most recently in the 2018 Session.
D Co-author, strategist and spokesperson for state Initiative 773, which increased the
sales tax on cigarettes by 60 cents a pack (passed with 66.1% of vote), and Initiative
901, which prohibited smoking in public places (passed with 63.3% of vote).
Fl Founding chair of Washington Long -Term Care Alliance; Former Chair of
Washington Alliance for Tobacco Control & Children's Health and Friends of the
Basic Health Plan; Currently chair of the Our Economic Future / Revenue Coalition.
D Successfully led effort to secure stakeholder consensus and legislative support for
$850 million revenue package to help balance state budget deficit in 2010.
D Coordinated compromise policy and funding solution to pass telecommunications
tax parity package that resulted in preservation of four programs (totaling $9.5
million) for clients and allies serving vulnerable populations in 2013.
E Developed and negotiated compromise $24 million nursing home funding package
that gained agreement of long-time legislative adversaries, resulting in a 35 cent per
hour wage increase for nursing home workers in 2014.
N ICK FEDE
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WASHINGTON STATE NURSES ASSOCIATION 1994 to 1997
One of the nation's leading nursing associations, representing more than 75,000
Registered Nurses, WSNA has taken a comprehensive, multi-purpose approach to:
advocate and improve healthcare for patients; foster high standards for nursing practice;
provide opportunities for continuous learning; and lohby the Legislature and regulatory
agencies on healthcare issues affrcting the public and nurses.
Government Relations Specialist
Created WSNA's legislative agenda, met with legislators to discuss the approved agenda,
monitored pertinent legislation, testified in front of legislative committees, and provided
guidance regarding legislative strategy.
WASHINGTON BOARD OF HEALTH 1993 to 1994
The Washington Board of Health serves the citizens of Washington by working to
understand and prevent disease across the entire population. Established in 1889 by the
state constitution, the Board of Health provides a public forum for the development of
public health policy in Washington
Special Assistant to the Executive Director
Board's Liaison to the Legislature, executive agencies, stakeholders and public, including
regular testimony at legislative hearings and responses to citizen and media inquiries.
Conducted seven extensive Sunset Reviews of health professions, including
convening and chairing public hearings and drafting report results.
CI Major role in the researching, writing, editing and publishing of the 1994
Washington State Public Health Report,
WASHINGTON STATE HEALTH CARE AUTHORITY 1992 to 1993
The Washington State Health Care Authority, at the time, oversaw the Public Employees
Benefits Board (PEBB) and Basic Health Plan (BHP) programs, and served as policy
analysis support for the Governor's efforts on health care reform.
Legislative Research Analyst
Researched and prepared reports on methods of evaluating the quality of managed care
plans for implementation of 1993 health care reform legislation.
[7 Solely responsible for policy and data research for major study of health benefits for
retired K-12 school district employees.
CI Coordinated and chaired meetings of advisory committee on retiree benefits,
including substantial contact with key executive, legislative and stakeholder staff.
AWARDS
Li Washington Law & Politics Magazine "Big League Player" award, April/May 2004
n Fuse Washington Sizzle Award: "Knight in Shining Armor" award, May 2010
(only non -elected official ever to receive a "Sizzle Award")
EDUCATION
School of Public Affairs
University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Bachelor of Arts, Government and History
Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH
1990-1992
1989
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C 1EDE.RIC1 Page 3
CURRENT CLIENT ORGANIZATIONS
WASHINGTON STATE HOUSING FINANCE COMMISSION 2000 to PRESENT
WASHINGTON LOW INCOME HOUSING ALLIANCE 2000 to PRESENT
RESPIRATORY CARE SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 2002 to PRESENT
FAIRFAX HOSPITAL 2005 to PRESENT
UNITED WAY OF KING COUNTY 2005 to PRESENT
SEIU 775 2007 to PRESENT
WIN 211 NETWORK 2010 to PRESENT
PIONEER HUMAN SERVICES 2014 to PRESENT
UNITED WAYS OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST 2015 to PRESENT
CITY OF SPOKANE 2016 to PRESENT
TOXIC FREE FUTURE 2017 to PRESENT
PREVIOUS CLIENT ORGAN Ar ONS
AARP WASHINGTON STATE OFFICE
AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY
AMERICAN LUNG ASSOCIATION OF WASHINGTON
ARC OF WASHINGTON
ARNPS UNITED
CHOICE REGIONAL HEALTH NETWORK
FAIRNESS LOBBY
FRIENDS OF THE BASIC HEALTH PLAN
ITAT FOR HUMANITY WASHINGTON
HATE FREE ZONE / ONE AMERICA
KING COUNTY HUMAN SERVICES ROUNDTABLE
MARCH OF DIMES
MIDWIVES ASSOCIATION OF WASHINGTON STATE
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SOCIAL WORKERS
NATIONAL MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SOCIETY, GREATER WASHINGTON CHAPTER
OPEIU LOCAL 8
PROVAIL
SEATTLE FLOATING HOMES ASSOCIATION
SOUND MENTAL HEALTH
VERIFIED VOTING
WASHINGTON ALLIANCE FOR TOBACCO CONTROL AND CHILD N'S ALTH
WASHINGTON AMBULANCE ASSOCIATION
WASHINGTON ASSOCIATION FOR MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPY
WASHINGTON ASSOCIATION OF HOUSING AND SERVICES FOR THE AGING
WASHINGTON PROTECTION AND ADVOCACY SYSTEM
WASHINGTON STATE ASSOCIATION OF ENGINEERING GEOLOGISTS
WASHINGTON STATE ASSOCIATION OF LOCAL PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS
WASHINGTON STATE HOME CARE COALITION
WASHINGTON STATE NURSES ASSOCIATION
WASHINGTON TOXICS COALITION
WASHINGTON UNITED FOR FAIR REVENUE
WASHINGTON UNITED FOR QUALITY NURSING HOME CARE
4/11/18
Proposal for State Legislative and
Administrative Advocacy Services
City of Yakima
RFP No. 11813P
111Sermonti
EN Government Relations 1
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Pub
submitted by
C At airs
Political Consultants
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April 11,2018
Sue Ownby, City of Yakima
129 No. 2nd St.
Yakima, WA 98901
RE: RFP 11813P
Dear Members of the Selection Committee,
It has been our pleasure to represent the City of Yakima and its important interests
during the 2018 legislative session. We are proud to have played a part in securing
the passage of critical economic development legislation to assist with the mill site
redevelopment project, as well as funding for a gang prevention pilot program. In
addition to these items, we worked as a team to keep City leadership updated on the
progress of other major legislative items, like the Voting Rights Act, and additional
funding for the state's police academy.
The 2018 legislative accomplishments show the importance of a consistent,
professional voice for the City in front of state policymakers, strong bipartisan
relationships with area legislators and legislative leadership, the importance of
continuity of the City's intergovernmental relations team, and legislative technical
expertise. In the way that we are working together on behalf of the City, we have
accomplished these important components of your advocacy efforts.
Strate_dy and effective client -consultant communications
Our method toward achieving successful government relations outcomes is rooted in
high ethical standards and a positive, proactive approach to problem solving and
accomplishing objectives.
In carrying out government relations and advocacy services, the consultant team will
clearly communicate the political landscape and environment while providing
actionable advice in order to accomplish the City's expected goals and outcomes.
We will serve the City as on -the -ground experts navigating intergovernmental issues
while pursuing the City's legislative goals, briefing City council and staff leadership as
needed, and ensuring council members or City officials are well-prepared to provide
legislative testimony. Both consultants have a strong relationship and frequently work
with the Association of Washington Cities, which is important to achieve legislative
success by remaining aware of important information and legislation affecting City -
related issues.
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Our weekly reports during the legislative session provide the City a focused picture of
progress and updates on City priorities, as well as the larger picture of the policy,
fiscal, and political pushes and pulls that are an ever-changing part of a legislative
session. We have a demonstrated skill in creating content that can be used for the
City's public education and news outreach efforts, or as ready -to -use communications
tools for City staff and council. We will continue to produce these products as a key
deliverable and a performance indicator.
Our style of concise and relevant phone, e-mail, and in-person communication
between the City and its representatives in Olympia is also key to decision making
and understanding tactical strategy direction during time -critical situations that need
immediate action.
Working for Yakima
We enjoy a strong working relationship with the City and its legislative delegation,
and continue to become more familiar with the City's economy, politics, and
approaches to problem -solving and relationship building.
Thank you for your time reviewing the materials we have submitted. We would be
honored to continue to represent the City.
Sincerely,
Susie Tracy Tony Sermonti
Northwest Advocates Sermonti Public Affairs
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Consultantll icatton Requirements
Quaf
Susie Tracy is the president and owner of Northwest Advocates, and Tony Sermonti is
owner of Sermonti Public Affairs. Both firms are located in Olympia and provide
comprehensive government affairs, legislative advocacy, and non-partisan
consultation services.
Mr. Sermonti and Ms. Tracy have a year-round presence with legislators and their staff,
state agencies, and a variety of stakeholder and interest groups. Both principals are
registered lobbyists with the Washington Public Disclosure Commission, and each
business is properly licensed for business in Washington state.
Services available and provided by
Sermonti Public Affairs and Northwest Advocates:
* Comprehensive management and strategic planning for legislative and
intergovernmental relations objectives
• Representing client interests during legislative sessions and legislative
meetings, agency regulatory actions, administrative rulemaking processes, and
policy issues under deliberation by executive and legislative branches
• Drafting legislation, amendments, and official correspondence
• Providing client updates and external communications content
• Tracking and monitoring legislation of interest
• Coalition building and grassroots engagement
Securing and preparing for meetings with legislators and agency leadership
• Navigating the legislative process and procedural issues
Providing expert legislative testimony or preparing clients to deliver testimony
in legislative committee hearings or work sessions
Contact information:
Tony Sermonti
1324 Glass Ave NE
Olympia, WA 98506
360-259-2330
tony@SermontiPublicAffairs.com
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Susie Tracy
2123 Wedgewood Dr. SE
Olympia WA 98501
360-701-4089 fax: 360-943-7210
tracy2123@comcast.net
Resumes and Experience
Susie Tracy, Northwest Advocates
Tony Sermonti, Sermonti Public Affairs
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Susie Tracy
Susie Tracy has committed the past 371/2 years of her life to government relations and
lobbying. The first year involved working for a public utility trade association where in
addition to legislative lobbying, her prime responsibility was working with the
Bonneville Power Administration and the Northwest Regional Power Planning Council
on energy matters, with conservation being the primary focus.
In 1982 - well before it was generally acceptable or traditional for a woman to do so -
she formed her own lobbying company (Northwest Advocates) and began
contracting with two trade associations. After 1982 her company took wings and
Northwest Advocates has since been successful in addressing a wide range of issues,
as may be seen on her resume. In slightly more than the past decade her primary
focus has been on a variety of medical matters.
More recently she has chosen to once again branch out into business and other
clients with a broader spectrum of issues. That decision has enabled her to come in
contact with a wider variety of legislators and committees in a very non-partisan way.
Susie prides herself on approaching challenges largely from a policy and strategic
standpoint, and while she cannot claim to never lose a legislative proposal or
position, she is realistic enough to accept that sometimes it takes more than a single
year to pass an important and challenging piece of legislation. She likes coalition
work and has retained a passion for leading coalitions when the opportunity arises.
Professional history
Assistant to the President
University of Idaho
Moscow, ID
Marketing Researcher
Sunset Magazine
Palo Alto, CA
Present:
Owner and President
Northwest Advocates • Olympia, WA
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Constituent Relations & Legislative Asst.
Office of U.S. Senator Frank Church
Moscow, ID
Lobbyist
WA State Public Utility Districts
Association Olympia, WA
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Tony Sermonti
Tony Sermonti is a contract lobbyist and public affairs consultant with more than 15
years of experience advising government leaders, elected officials, and industry
executives on public policy, the political process, and communications. He currently
represents a range of technology, business, and public sector clients before the
legislature and state agencies.
Through past experience as a staff member to Senate Democratic Caucus leadership
and as legislative director for a large state agency, he has strong relationships based
on trust and bipartisanship on both sides of the political aisle at the State Capitol.
Through his public sector experience, he understands the unique nature, approach,
and requirements in the way public agencies must approach intergovernmental and
legislative relations.
As Legislative Director for the Department of Licensing, an agency with a large
transportation and business licensing portfolio, Mr. Sermonti managed a complicated
agenda and worked with legislative leadership and the Governor's Office on several
high-profile pieces of legislation that were signed into law.
Serving as the lead negotiator with the Governor's Office on legislation adopting
federal identification document requirements, he worked closely with lawmakers,
communities of color, and many other key stakeholders on the language that was
enacted into law. This work illustrates his ability to work closely with varying coalitions
and stakeholders, while utilizing legislative procedures to secure the passage of
legislation.
Professional history
Policy and Legislative Director • 2010-2017
Washington State Department of Licensing
Associate Press Advance Lead • on call 2011-2016
Executive Office of the President, The White House
Agency Spokesperson and Legislative Liaison • 2009-2010
Washington State Department of Licensing
Communications Advisor • 2007-2010
Washington State Senate Democratic Caucus
Communications and Media Relations Manager • 2005-2007
The Evergreen State College
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CU rrent Ciients
Northwest Advocates
Sermonti Public Affairs
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Current clients supported by Northwest Advocates
WA Academy of Eye Physicians and
Surgeons
WA Physicians Health Program
WA Poison Center
City ofYakima
WA Chapter, American College of
Emergency Physicians
Caring for Washington (UW family medicine
residency programs)
Wa. Airport Management Association
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Oracle Corporation
American Medical Response
Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation,
Puget Sound Affiliate
Washington State Medical Association
Small and Midsize Transit Alliance (Wa. State
Transit Association)
REI
Public Health Roundtable
University of Washington Medical School
Harborview Medical Center
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Wa. State Society of Oral and Maxillofacia
Surgeons
Acadia Healthcare Inc.
Greater Seattle Business Association
Therapeutic Health Services
Evergreen Treatment Services
Wa. Ambulatory Surgery Centers
Association
Association of Alcohol and Addiction
Programs of Washington
Airlift Northwest
Washington State Arts AlIiance
Aging Services of Washington
Schering-Plough Pharmaceutical
Lincoln Memorial University
The Nature Conservancy
Mothers Against Violence in America
Wa. Ambulance Association
Wa. State Financial Services Association
Wa. Public Power Supply System
Seattle Chinese Garden
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Current Clients supported by Serrnonti Pu lic Affairs
Motor Vehicle Software Corporation
Reviver Auto, Inc.
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Washington State Patrol Lieutenants and
Captains Association
City of Yakima
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V. Communication Protocols
The consultants will provide oral and written updates concerning the progress made
on the governmental affairs strategy as often as requested by the City of Yakima, and
will, at a minimum, provide a 'week -in -review' document as outlined in Section I of this
proposal during each week of the regular and special legislative sessions.
The City of Yakima shall designate its chosen point of contact for consultants, and
through this contact provide official direction regarding strategy, modification of
objectives, and official positions on matters before the Legislative and Executive
branches of Washington state government.
Vit. Proposed Budget
Based on the current understanding of the services necessary to represent the City of
Yakima through interactions, communications, and general advocacy with the
Governor's Office, state agencies, the state legislature and legislative staff, boards,
commissions, and other legislative bodies, an annual retainer fee of $60,000, to be
paid in equal monthly installments of $5000 is proposed. This proposed annual fee
reflects the comprehensive services available year-round to the City of Yakima as
outlined in Section II of this proposal, and other deliverables by Northwest Advocates
and Sermonti Public Affairs. An annual rate proposal is appropriate for the nature and
type of services provided by the consultants.
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REFERENCES - Susie Tracy
She l Bierne
Exec. Director, WA Society of Oral and Max-
illofacial Surgeons; regulations regarding
such matters as appropriate anesthesia;
technician assistant qualifications; specialty
advertising; and prescription monitoring
8040 161st Ave. NE
Redmond, WA 98052
206-617-2425
wssoms@gmail.com
Nathan Schlicher, MD
President, WA Chapter of American College
of Emergency Physicians; former State
Senator. Legislation establishing an 'ER for
Emergencies' program statewide, saving the
state approximately $30 million per year;
current emphasis on various strategies for
opioid use and death reduction
St. Joseph Medical Center
1717 S. J Street
Tacoma, WA 98405
253-509-8880
schlicnr@yahoo.com
Molly Carney PhD, MBA
Executive Director of Evergreen Treatment
Services; for many years have worked on
substance use disorder regulations,
treatment relationship to homelessness, and
funding before the Legislature; in 2018
obtained $3 million in the capital budget for
ETS' building purchase and remodel
1700 Airport Way 5
Seattle, WA 98134
206-756-3368
MCarney@evergreentx.org
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Russell Maier, MD
University of Washington Family Medicine
Residency Program; primary focus is
obtaining funding to support medical
residencies across the state; most recent
success was over $20 million funding for
new residency positions
Central Washington Family Medicine
1806 W Lincoln Ave
Yakima, WA. 98902
509-480-2837
maier@u.washington.edu
Robert Peterson
Airport Director, Yakima Air Terminal -
McAllister Field; Legislative Chair, WA
Airport Management Association; for over
20 years have focused on airport
regulations, funding, preservation,
encroachment matters, and aircraft taxation
2406 W. Washington Avenue
Yakima, WA
509-575-6149
rob.peterson@yakimaairterminal.com
References from legislators
available upon request
REFERENCES - Tony Sermonti
Senator Curtis King.
Senate Transportation Committee Fmr.
Chairman and Current Ranking Member;
several years of work on federal changes
requiring state legislative action; agency
oversight; fuel taxation issues
Washington State Senate
Irving Newhouse Building
curtis.king@leg.wa.gov
509-952-4667
Jane Wall
Govt. Relations Advocate, Association of
Washington Cities; in frequent
communication, networking, and coalition
building on legislative matters important to
cities
Assn. of Washington Cities
1076 Franklin St. SW, Olympia
janew@awcnet.org
360-753-0149
John Bruggerman
Vice President, Motor Vehicle Software
Corp.; 1 advise on intergovernmental and
legislative relations on transportation
revenue systems, local and state
government transportation policy; privacy
issues; legislative strategy strategic planning
MVSCNITU
2250 NW 22nd Ave, Suite 510
Portland, OR
jb@vitu.com
Portland OR 97210 971-808-0202
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Senator Dean Takko
Chair, Local Government Committee,
Washington State Senate; worked with him
on economic development legislation;
transportation funding issues; city/county
issues
Washington State Senate
John A. Cherberg Building
dean.takko@leg.wa.gov
360-430-3221
David Postman
Chief of Staff, Office of Governor Jay Inslee; I
worked frequently with senior members of
the administration and with chief of staff on
legislative agenda development and
legislative affairs strategy
Office of the Governor
Capitol Building, Olympia
david.postman@gov.wa.gov
360-688-4320
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Performance Indicators
Pursuant to Section 9 (g) of the RFP document, the Contractors acknowledge that the
City will develop performance indicators to measure its return on investment for the
services provided.
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