Conventions tap lobbyists for key roles

DENVER - Both Barack Obama and John McCain portray themselves as no friend of beltway insiders and lobbyists. Yet both national conventions have influential lobbyists in key posts.

To set up its convention, Denver turned to Steven Farber, a politically active local lawyer who's president and founding partner of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck. He's helped get the Broncos a new football stadium and his firm represents clients on everything from health care to gambling.

Farber serves on the Denver convention's executive board and is the effort's chief fundraiser. He's denied any overlap between his career and the convention, telling USA Today earlier this month that he'd recently let his lobbying registration lapse for lack of use.

Mike Dino is chief executive of the Denver host committee. He's employed by Patton Boggs, a heavy-hitting Washington lobbying firm.

For the GOP effort next week in Minnesota, three lobbyists serve in official roles.

Anthony Foti is the convention committee's director of external affairs and a lobbyist for Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, whose clients, according to www.opensecrets.org, include AT&T, Indoor Tanning Association and the National Association of Securities Dealers.

Blake Hall, a national GOP committeeman from Idaho, has lobbied for the engineering and construction firm CH2M Hill and is the convention committee's general counsel.

Republicans also turned to a lobbyist with Illinois ties - Bob Kjellander. The Springfield resident is the state's national party committeeman and vice chairman of the convention committee. As a lobbyist, his 2007 clients included a leading online gambling firm.