New London - If Mayor Daryl Justin Finizio can succeed in persuading the City Council, New London would get what the biggest Connecticut cities already have: its own lobbyist.

And with a population of just 28,000, New London might well become the smallest city in the state to have a full-time lobbyist.

Having a full-time lobbyist in Hartford in addition to a full-time grants writer in City Hall were platform pledges in Finizio's mayoral campaign. As more than 40 percent of New London's budget comes from federal and state money or grants, he argued, the city should do everything it can to protect these funding streams.

And a dedicated pair of professional persuaders could shake a bit more fruit off the government money tree.

In an interview last week, Finizio said he is preparing to set aside money in his first budget proposal for the lobbyist and grant writer positions. The spending plan is due to be delivered to the City Council on April 1.

The mayor will have a lobbying job of his own in trying to convince council members to keep both positions in the final budget.

Council President Michael Passero said Friday that he is "a little bit skeptical" about the lobbyist and grant writer ideas.

"I think the city has been doing a pretty good job of applying for grants," he said.

His main concern is finding the money to pay for the new positions in a year when finances are tight. Still, Passero vowed to listen to the mayor's sales pitch with an open mind.

Finizio said he would have a national search for the right job candidates and conduct a "merit-based" application process. He has yet to calculate costs, but said he expects that each position could be filled for under $100,000.

A good lobbyist and grant writer can bring in enough money that would pay their compensation "multiple times over," Finizio said.

Large Connecticut cities including Hartford, New Haven, Stamford and Bridgeport have contracted with lobbying firms for years. State records show that at least a handful of small cities such as Middletown have had lobbyists at the Capitol.

However, smaller cities will generally hire a lobbyist for a specific purpose rather than year-round business, according to interviews with people familiar with municipal lobbying.

James Finley Jr., executive director and chief executive officer of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, said small cities generally use lobbyist services for a special, short-term reason, such as obtaining funding through the State Bond Commission for a bridge repair.

New London is a dues-paying member of CCM, which employs seven lobbyists during legislative sessions to advocate for its communities. But Finizio believes the city needs a lobbyist all to itself.

"I want to make sure that our representative is looking out for our interests and our interests only," he said.

A criticism of Finizio's lobbyist plan that emerged in the mayoral race was the notion that New London already has a team of advocates in Hartford: its two state representatives - Democrats Ernest Hewett and Ted Moukawsher - and state senator, Andrea Stillman, also a Democrat.

"You pick up the phone and talk to Ernie," said former councilor Rob Pero, a Republican who ran against Finizio. Pero also believes it is the mayor's job to be doing work that a lobbyist would, including keeping close contact with the area's state legislators and calling on the governor and his staff.

Finizio says he is already doing all that and will still visit the Capitol.

"Just because we have a lobbyist doesn't meant I'm not up there," Finizio said.

Count Jay B. Levin as one lobbyist who doesn't think New London needs a lobbyist. A former New London councilor, mayor and state representative, Levin is a partner in the Hartford-based lobbying firm Levin, Powers and Brennan.

"If it was a city of 250,000, I think it would be a legitimate expense," Levin said Friday. "But for a city of this size, the mayor should be working closely with the legislative delegation."

Levin said his initial advice to organizations that wish to accomplish a specific goal is to speak with the man or woman elected to represent their area. Lawmakers hold powers the lobbyists don't.

"No lobbyist can walk on the floor of the General Assembly where the business gets done," he said.

As Finizio envisions it, the lobbyist would work with him and area legislators in providing an "all of the above" strategy for New London's interests. He noted how the General Assembly is a part-time legislature and its members must balance different constituencies.

"It's a whole different world when you have a professionally trained person who is there all the time personally representing your city," Finizio said.

In a 2010 CCM survey of small and medium-sized Connecticut municipalities, most respondents said their grant writing was done by regular departmental employees. For the occasional big project, these municipalities might contract with a professional firm to gloss up the application.

Two small municipalities, Oxford and Stafford, reported employing full-time grant writers. The city of Bristol said it once had a full-time position, although no longer does.

Middletown, a city of nearly 48,000, has a contract with a firm for general lobbying services. Mayor Daniel T. Drew said last week that he hopes he can hire an in-house grant writer for the city next fiscal year.

"Grants enable you to do things that you couldn't normally do within the scope of your budget," said Drew, who previously worked as a grant writer for Sacred Heart University. "When you get somebody good at it that knows the landscape and how to go after money, it can be incredibly valuable."

Finizio is hoping that such arguments can win over New London City Council.

"Having one person whose full-time job is just to apply for outside sources of revenue makes all the sense in the world," Finizio said.

j.reindl@theday.com