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“Washington is important, but I like to look at the whole picture. I spend a lot of time one-on-one with my clients, working through all the interlocking issues and developing comprehensive solutions to a project or problem,” Mr. Young said. Mr. Young has been lobbying for over two decades, and he began his career in Washington as a legislative aide to U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M. He also has served as director of government affairs for the National Association of Realtors, and for six years in California, he represented clients on the state and federal levels. The City of Stockton, Calif., has been a client since the mid-1990s. A federal plan to designate much of the metropolitan area as a flood plain threatened the economic future of the 250,000-population city. Instead, Mr. Young played a primary role in the city taking responsibility for its own flood protection, with Washington refunding most of the cost. Since then, Mr. Young has worked with Stockton to win over $40 million in federal support. With his Western background, Mr. Young has long been involved in the bitter disputes over water supply and quality that now have been replicated across the entire country. “Every jurisdiction in the country needs water infrastructure, improved flood control, wiser use of diminishing water supplies, or new strategies for improving water quality,” Mr. Young said. In Orange County, Calif., Mr. Young helped develop plans and funding for more than 50,000 acres of endangered habitat that made sense for local economic interests, environmentalists, and multiple endangered species. For urban fire departments, Mr. Young is working to provide full congressional authorization for the country’s 28 urban search and rescue teams. These teams were created to respond to natural disasters, but because of terrorism, their role has changed. Federal legislation is needed to make the system and its funding more consistent. Mr. Young has worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of the Interior, and many other federal agencies with jurisdiction in public infrastructure, economic development, and natural resources. He has coordinated strategy with national organizations such as the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the National League of Cities, the National Association of Homebuilders, and the National Association of Flood and Stormwater Management Agencies. Mr. Young holds a bachelor of arts degree in political science from Brigham Young University, and did graduate work in urban and environmental planning at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Copyright © 2004 by VAN SCOYOC ASSOCIATES,
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