Mobilisa goes on attack over national investigative report
Intellicheck Mobilisa president and CEO, Nelson Ludlow
By Jeff Chew
Peninsula Daily News
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'Larger-than-life'
FOR MORE THAN three decades, Norm Dicks, D-Belfair, has represented Washington's 6th Congressional District, which includes Jefferson and Clallam counties.
Today he's chairman of the powerful House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.
But in recent months Dicks has been dogged by ethics questions related to defense spending earmarks.
There was even a congressional inquiry which closed without disciplinary action.
Now comes a Huffington Post investigation -- it suggests Dicks is attempting to funnel money through the University of Washington to a private defense contractor in Port Townsend.
It's an allegation Dicks denies.
The University of Washington says the funding is not an automatic pass-through.
Either way, retired UW political science professor David Olson says Dicks' reputation as a prolific earmarker is not a political liability.
"We can get all in a fuss about earmark legislation, but in that district, in this state, I am not persuaded that it is a problem for his re-election -- in fact, I think it's a plus," Olson told National Public Radio.
Another longtime Dicks-watcher is SeattlePI.com political columnist Joel Connelly.
He says Dicks has inoculated himself by cultivating a reputation at home as a fierce defender of Boeing and Puget Sound.
"He does a fair amount of good which counteracts some of the charges and some of the stuff that's thrown at the wall against him," Connelly told NPR.
"And he's also an enthusiastic, larger-than-life person who gets out into his district, talks to people. He is a presence."
Dicks has not drawn a high-profile election rival in years, although one of his Republican challengers this year hopes to gain traction with a "Let's Clean House" platform.
Peninsula Daily News sources
FOR MORE THAN three decades, Norm Dicks, D-Belfair, has represented Washington's 6th Congressional District, which includes Jefferson and Clallam counties.
Today he's chairman of the powerful House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.
But in recent months Dicks has been dogged by ethics questions related to defense spending earmarks.
There was even a congressional inquiry which closed without disciplinary action.
Now comes a Huffington Post investigation -- it suggests Dicks is attempting to funnel money through the University of Washington to a private defense contractor in Port Townsend.
It's an allegation Dicks denies.
The University of Washington says the funding is not an automatic pass-through.
Either way, retired UW political science professor David Olson says Dicks' reputation as a prolific earmarker is not a political liability.
"We can get all in a fuss about earmark legislation, but in that district, in this state, I am not persuaded that it is a problem for his re-election -- in fact, I think it's a plus," Olson told National Public Radio.
Another longtime Dicks-watcher is SeattlePI.com political columnist Joel Connelly.
He says Dicks has inoculated himself by cultivating a reputation at home as a fierce defender of Boeing and Puget Sound.
"He does a fair amount of good which counteracts some of the charges and some of the stuff that's thrown at the wall against him," Connelly told NPR.
"And he's also an enthusiastic, larger-than-life person who gets out into his district, talks to people. He is a presence."
Dicks has not drawn a high-profile election rival in years, although one of his Republican challengers this year hopes to gain traction with a "Let's Clean House" platform.
Peninsula Daily News sources
Nelson Ludlow, who founded the Port Townsend-based wireless technology company and defense contractor in 2005 with his wife, Bonnie, said Friday the story by former Seattle Times reporter David Heath was incorrect on several fronts.
Neither Huffington nor Heath contacted Ludlow for comment, Ludlow said.
[The Huffington Post article by Heath can be accessed here: http://huffpostfund.org/stories/2010/07/despite-pledge-curtail-corporate-earmarks-politicians-pursue-them.
[A secondary Huffington Post article is here: http://huffpostfund.org/stories/2010/07/two-sides-same-earmark .]
Ludlow contends that his company, which has continuously been cited as one of the fastest-growing technology firms in the state, does not need earmarks -- but does not turn them down.
"Yes, we have received some earmarks before," Ludlow said.
"Essentially, all large defense contractors ask for earmarks.
"Why is he singling out Intellicheck Mobilisa, which is a certified [historically underutilized business zones], veteran-owned small business?
"Big defense contractors in California get an earmark, but [Heath] is angry Mobilisa got one in the past."
Ludlow said contrary to the article, Intellicheck Mobilisa is not included in a University of Washington earmark for fiscal year 2011.
The company has no earmarks requests to Congress for 2011, Ludlow said.
"He says UW is giving Mobilisa $6.2 million. False," Ludlow said.
"We have never received any funding from UW, nor have had any promise of future money from them.
"Actually Mobilisa has subcontracted to UW for about $1.5 million to date.
"UW is helping Mobilisa build environmental sensors and a new buoy design and prototype.
"This was done with Navy's approval. This is not new, it has been that way."
As for the article's claim that the company is "beneficiary of this request," Ludlow said:
"That is absolute fabrication. UW is the beneficiary, not us."
"I have no idea what UW is doing for 2011.
"UW hasn't given our company any money.
"We subcontract to them. They are experts in marine biology.
"I'm giving money to them, not the other way around."
Ludlow said he and his wife, who is Intellicheck Mobilisa's senior vice president, have given political donations, "which we have the right to do."
"After I retired from serving as a military officer, we have consistently supported political candidates we believe in," he said.
"We support many other politicians in addition to Congressman Dicks.
"We support Congressman Dicks with or without an earmark.
"We are glad he is pro-jobs and pro-military."
Intellicheck Mobilisa is most noted for its Wireless Over Water technology on state ferries and Navy ships, and for an instant identification card reader that is used at most U.S. military bases.
It was recently promoted by Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-New York, who called on the Department of Homeland Security to invest in the new wireless security device to prevent would-be terrorists from boarding planes and getting past terror no-fly lists.
"Our ID card reading projects are growing," Ludlow said.
"We are publicly traded company where all our finances are a matter of public record and audited and reviewed by the [Securities and Exchange Commission]."
Ludlow noted that the article never said "the [buoy] project was frivolous or not good work. Quite the opposite.
"The Navy, Coast Guard, [Department of Homeland Security] and [the Office of the Director of National Intelligence] have all favorably commented on this project.
"Building a suite of homeland security sensors to scan cargo ships coming in makes sense.
"If some terrorist group gets a dirty bomb into one of our ports, everyone will be saying we need this technology at all the ports.
"Then they will be thankful that the Congressman Dicks and the Navy supported research and development into this critical area."
Ludlow said the company strongly believes in competition.
"Every contract awarded to us from the government has gone through the Federal Acquisition Regulations, which awards a contract through a competitive bid process, or they can do a sole-source justification if the company is the only source of a unique technology," he said.
"And after all contract awards any competitor can protest the award if they feel they could have done the work."
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Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
Last modified: July 11. 2010 1:07AM
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