K Street Files: Doolittle Does a Little Work for Colfax City
Former Rep. John Doolittle, who griped earlier this year that his entanglement in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal had been killing his employment prospects, has nabbed some work.
The California Democrat was awarded a consulting contract by the Colfax City Council to help the small northern California municipality obtain federal grants to improve its wastewater treatment plant. The city council agreed to pay Doolittle no more than $30,000, according to the local newspaper, the Colfax Record. The council considered the contract at the end of its Wednesday meeting, according to an agenda on the city’s website.
“It is critically important that we have somebody [familiar with] Washington pushing for grants,” said City Manager Bruce Kranz, according to the newspaper.
The former nine-term Congressman, who lives in Northern Virginia, said in an interview with Roll Call this summer that even though the Justice Department had cleared him in the scandal, he still was being shunned by potential employers.
“I’d like to do anything that makes a meaningful contribution and helps me support the family,” Doolittle said in the interview, which appeared in the June 28 edition of Roll Call.
Doolittle and his wife, Julie, came under investigation five years ago as part of the federal probe into the lobbying activities of former K Street heavyweight Abramoff, who served time in prison. Doolittle’s former legislative director, Kevin Ring, who later joined Abramoff’s lobbying team, is facing trial this fall for his involvement in the scandal.
No Moore at Venable
After two years with Venable, Tiffany Moore has hung her own shingle. Moore, a former legislative director to Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and one-time in-house lobbyist at Kellogg’s, said she will focus on food, energy and trade policy in her new firm.
Moore worked as assistant U.S. trade representative in charge of the intergovernmental affairs and public liaison office under Rob Portman and Susan Schwab before joining Venable. She plans to remain a solo practitioner.
“I like the ability to help a discreet number of clients and provide excellent client service in navigating Washington, D.C.,” Moore said. Her firm, Moore Consulting, has already registered two clients, Kellogg’s and Noble Energy Inc.
K Street Moves
IBM has bolstered its Washington, D.C., ranks by hiring Jay Perron. Perron joins the company as a government programs executive and will focus on such issues as trade, labor, technology and patents.
Walter Pryor has left the Podesta Group to be vice president of government relations for the Career Education Corporation. He will be based in Chicago.
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