Gov.-elect Parris N. Glendening and some Maryland lawmakers say top state lobbyist Bruce C. Bereano should not return to Annapolis next month because of his recent mail-fraud conviction.
If Bereano insists on continuing his lobbying practice, "I think it's obviously going to add to the mistrust that many voters have of the way the governmental process works currently," Mr. Glendening said.
"Were I in his position, I certainly would not be involved in any lobbying activity at this time."
The General Assembly's most powerful members, Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. and House Speaker Casper R. Taylor Jr., declined to take a position on the issue.
But other General Assembly leaders say it would be better if he stepped aside.
Republican Del. Robert H. Kittleman, the new House Minority Leader, said fellow legislators are uncomfortable about Bereano's plans to return.
"I think they're going to be very shy about accepting an invitation or a cup of coffee from him," said Mr. Kittleman, a Howard County Republican.
"I'm actually surprised he's going to do it."
Such comments are the latest blow to Bereano, convicted last week by a federal jury in Baltimore of tricking his clients into paying for more than $16,000 in illegal campaign contributions to Maryland politicians.
After the verdict, Bereano said he planned to continue working the legislature in Annapolis as he awaits sentencing in April. His effectiveness as a lobbyist, however, is based in large part on his personal relationships and credibility with politicians -- including the governor.
Senate President Miller and Speaker Taylor say Bereano's return is up to him and his clients. "That's for Bruce to decide," Mr. Miller said yesterday.
Said Mr. Taylor: "The ultimate answer to your question will be the effectiveness he will have in dealing with both his clients and with the elected officials of this legislature."
Mr. Bereano was out of town yesterday and could not be reached for comment. That some legislators are suggesting he stay away from the State House shows how far the million-dollar-a-year lobbyist has fallen in the 10 days since his conviction.
A lobbyist since the 1970s, Mr. Bereano transformed the job from issue-oriented advocate to campaign fund-raiser and political pal. Representing dozens of clients, the flamboyant -- some say arrogant -- lawyer pampered legislators with flowers, sports tickets and expensive meals.
Now, said Del. Howard P. Rawlings, chairman of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, "I would doubt if any serious firm will hire him to lobby."
Bereano's conviction on eight felony counts of mail fraud has already cost him one of his biggest clients. GTECH, a Rhode Island company for whom Bereano lobbied aggressively to win the state's lucrative lottery contract, said yesterday that he will not be their man in Annapolis next month.
"We operate in a very regulated and highly scrutinized industry, so that obviously precludes us from maintaining a relationship with Mr. Bereano," said Bob Rendine, the company's public affairs manager.
Under current law, there is nothing to prevent Bereano from NTC continuing to lobby. But Mr. Rawlings said that if he returns to Annapolis in January, there could be.
"I personally think that if a felon is not able to vote -- which is the most basic right that a person has in a democracy -- that one has to lookvery seriously at curtailing some of their free speech privileges, which lobbying essentially is," said Mr. Rawlings, a Baltimore Democrat. He said he thought there could be a bill this session that would prohibit felons from lobbying for money. M. Albert Figinski, Bereano's defense attorney, said he doubted such a law would be constitutional. He said it would be like telling a newspaper it could publish, but not charge for its product. "I welcome the opportunity to challenge it," Mr. Figinski said.
If Mr. Bereano does return next month, he will face dozens of new legislators who know him largely through news reports about his legal troubles and his reputation as a wheeler-dealer. Think, said Anne Arundel Del. John C. Astle, how newcomers will react when he tries to lobby them.
"I can't imagine that those people are going to feel very comfortable," said Mr. Astle, a member of the Joint Committee on Legislative Ethics.