Former senate president lobbying for harness racers

Jeff Lamberti, a Republican from Ankeny, was a former member of the Iowa House and Senate who served for a time as president of the Iowa Senate.  He also ran for Iowa’s third district congressional seat in 2006.  Congressman Leonard Boswell, a Democrat from Des Moines, won 52 percent of the vote contrasted with Lamberti’s 46 percent that year.  Lamberti recently appeared at an Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission meeting, speaking on the horse racing issue.

Read the news release from the harness racing industry after the jump:

IaHHA Retains Lamberti

The Iowa Harness Horse Association (IaHHA) has retained Jeff Lamberti as Counsel for the association. Lamberti, who served as a state senator from 1999 to 2006, is President of Block, Lamberti and Gocke, P.C. of Ankeny.

As a legislator, Lamberti was President of the Iowa Senate from 2004-2006, a time period that included robust debates about taxing levels for racetracks and casinos.  “I negotiated with every entity out there on the issue, and in the end, we found resolutions beneficial to everybody,” Lamberti said.

“That experience and expertise are the reasons we retained Jeff,” said IaHHA President Royal Roland of Grinnell.  In the coming year, the Standardbreds (harness horses) face a cutback in both days raced in the state and in the purse available for those races.

Lamberti said the treatment of Standardbreds has “not necessarily been the intent of the Legislature” when it did its work in 2004.  He hopes now to look for long-term solutions that are mutually beneficial to all groups involved. “It won’t be easy, but it gives us the perspective to strengthen and improve what’s there, and to land on that spot that is good for all,” he said.

About IaHHA:  The Iowa Harness Horse Association (IaHHA) is organized to nurture and promote the Standardbred breeding industry and harness racing in Iowa. The American Standardbred was named by John H. Wallace, who came to Iowa from Pennsylvania in 1845. Wallace established the internationally recognized registry with the pedigree and standard records he compiled. The IaHHA website is http://www.iowaharnessracing.com/

IaHHA plans a Legislative Rally on March 10, 2010 at the Iowa Capitol. Members support HF 2507, a bill passed by the House Agriculture Committee. The bill designates county fair dollars a “purse” which will make them regulated by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission (IRGC).