A Small-Town Lobbyist and Her Big Connection

The company did not retain Grimes because "the situation didn't feel right," the firm's representative said.

Canfield said neither Weldon nor his aides had ever recommended that any company hire Grimes or any other lobbyist.

Congressional watchdog groups said it appeared that some companies retained Grimes not only for future access to Weldon but also to say thank you for the congressman's past support.

"The only thing that she seems to be bring to the table is her relationship with Weldon," Keith Ashdown of Taxpayers for Common Sense, a Washington watchdog group, said when told of Grimes' work as a lobbyist.

"If I were looking to hire a lobbyist, I'd want someone with experience.... There's a big difference between selling houses and selling legislation to the House."

Grimes studied computer science at Beaver College -- now Arcadia University -- in Glenside, Pa., from 1983 to 1985, according to a resume posted on her real estate website. She received a bachelor's degree from Neumann College in Pennsylvania, the resume says.

She obtained her real estate license in 1989, state records show, and her website describes her as a "consistent multi-million-dollar producer." She has received multiple real estate honors, the website says.

Grimes told The Times that she had known Weldon for about 15 years. "I coached one of his kids in junior high school," she said, declining to elaborate.

Weldon, 58, was first elected to Congress in 1986 and represents the mostly Republican suburbs southwest of Philadelphia -- including Media, a borough that describes itself as "Everyone's Hometown."

In 2000, Grimes was listed as Weldon's real estate agent in the purchase of his $440,000 two-story home in nearby Glen Mills, documents show.

Grimes, who still works as a real estate agent, has been lobbying since March 2003, when she opened a firm initially called CC Nexus, now incorporated as Grimes and Young. Her partner is Cynthia Young, 28, a freshly minted lawyer. Young declined an interview request.

Young's husband, Robert J. Young, worked as a paid staff aide for four months on Weldon's 2004 reelection campaign. He also is the son of U.S. Rep. C.W. "Bill" Young (R-Fla.).

Among the most recent clients signed by Grimes and Young is Oto Melara, a subsidiary of Italian defense firm Finmeccanica. On June 1, the company agreed to pay Grimes $20,000 annually to lobby the House and Senate.