Why is Biloxi spending $10,000 a month for a lobbyist?

Councilmen last week questioned why the city should renew a contract for a lobbyist at $10,000 a month when the council has no report of progress or future plans.

The city has so far paid $70,000 to B. Keith Heard, who is former chief of staff for U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran, and his company, Key Impact Strategies.

Although Heard was hired to lobby in Washington and Jackson on behalf of the city, he isn’t a registered lobbyist in Mississippi. He is registered in Washington and also represents the Institute of Marine Mammal Studies in Gulfport.

Heard was with Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich in Washington, D.C., last week meeting at the White House and with the Mississippi senators at the Capitol, said Michael Leonard, Biloxi’s chief administrative officer.

Until Gilich returned and could give them more information, the Biloxi Council tabled a resolution to extend Heard’s contract for another six months.

The resolution is back on the agenda for the meeting on Sept. 25.

Heard and Key Impact Strategies first were hired for four months through March 31. His contract was renewed through June 31.

Gilich now is asking that his contract run for five months from Oct. 1 through Feb. 28, at the same price of $10,000 a month. The contract also authorizes Heard be reimbursed for “reasonable entertainment expenses” that must be pre-authorized by the city and won’t exceed $1,500.

Council President Kenny Glavan said at the Sept. 18 meeting the council has no report of what Heard has done or what his plan is going forward to bring money to Biloxi.

Leonard said lobbyists don’t typically share that kind of information, but said Heard has agreed to put together a list of everyone he’s met with on behalf of Biloxi.

Councilman Nathan Barrett said if the mayor wants to pay for Heard’s contract out of the administration’s budget he would approve it, but he said the council already spent $70,000 with no reports. Leonard said the mayor has agreed to pay the contract from his budget.

Leonard said this is a crucial time for Biloxi to have a lobbyist. The resolution says Heard would lobby for “BP Economic Damages, Restore Act, GOMESA (Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act), OIG audit and appeal, public Trust Tidelands funds and more.”

Leonard said Biloxi doesn’t have an employee on staff who can lobby for the city, and important decisions are being made on where the BP money will be spent and how internet sales tax will be shared with local communities.

“We don’t have anybody in Jackson, where a lot of this is going on behind the curtain,” Leonard said.

In August, the Legislature approved a bill directing 75 percent of the $750 million from BP for economic damages back to the Coast.

“The governor hasn’t appointed the panel yet that is going to steer the money,” Leonard said.

Heard worked with Biloxi to secure federal and state funding for the $35 million Keesler Air Force Base entry gate project and Leonard said the administration is looking for his help to secure $7.2 million still promised.

“We’re very happy with the access he has and based on his past experience and reputation he has,” Leonard said.

Note: On Tuesday, Sept. 25, the council tabled hiring Heard until he verifies he is registered to lobby in the state. City attorney Peter Abide said that Heard told him he thought he did register online last year and was working to verify that. Heard has met with Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann, said Abide, whose office is in charge of registering lobbyists.

This story was originally published September 25, 2018 at 5:00 AM.