ALBANY - The three top lobbying firms working the halls of New York's state Capitol have something in common other than making tons of money - their chief operatives each have strong ties to the state Assembly's Democratic majority.
On Monday, the state Lobbying Commission released its annual report showing a record $151 million was spent on lobbying in 2006, up from the $149 million laid out in 2005.
The report showed the three top firms took in more than $18 million, or 12 percent of the total.
That was a nice haul for Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker ($7.9 million, up 13 percent from 2005); Bolton St. John's ($5.2 million, up 35 percent); and Patricia Lynch Associates ($5.1 million, up 19 percent).
Wilson Elser's top lobbyist in Albany is Kenneth Shapiro, who was the chief counsel to three Assembly speakers before shifting to lobbying in 1989. Bolton St. John's top operatives are Mel Miller, who was Assembly speaker from 1987-91, and Norman Adler, who was a top aide to Miller in the Assembly. Patricia Lynch was a top adviser to current Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver until she quit at the end of 2000 to start her own lobbying firm. Within three months, her firm's earnings were approaching the $1 million mark.
Shapiro has kept Wilson Elser in the top spot in lobbying income since 1996. A firm with strong Republican links briefly took over the top spot in 1995 when Republican George Pataki took office, but Shapiro's slip into the No. 2 spot lasted only that one year.
“I've thought about this numerous times and I couldn't come up with a reason,” Shapiro said when asked why firms with strong ties to Assembly Democrats have dominated the top spots recently despite the fact that Pataki was governor and Republicans have ruled the state Senate since 1965.
“I think it's pure coincidence,” said Lynch.
She noted that while she has well-known ties to Silver and the Assembly's Democratic majority, “my first job was 13 years in the Senate (Democratic) minority.”
David Grandeau, the lobbying commission's executive director, said there might be other factors at work to explain the success of top firms.
“I have long believed that most clients that hire lobbyists are wasting their money,” he said.
“Having said that, a client who hires a lobbyist to stop something from happening probably is investing their money more wisely than the client who hires them trying to get something to happen.”
“It's far easier to destroy than to create,” said the lobbying regulator.
“If you follow that logic, hiring an Assembly-connected lobbying firm during the prior (Pataki) administration makes sense - all you needed was one to say ‘No,”' said Grandeau, noting that laws don't get adopted unless they pass both houses of the Legislature and are signed by the governor.
Grandeau said that if his theory holds, the thing to watch for with Democrat Eliot Spitzer in the governor's office as of Jan. 1 is a move into the top ranks of lobbying firms by a Republican-linked company.
More likely, he said, is “a mega-merger between two of these top 10 firms” that would bring together powerful lobbyists with strong links to both sides.
There is a problem with Grandeau's odd-man-out theory. When Shapiro took his firm to the top ranks of lobbying companies, Democrat Mario Cuomo was governor and Democrats were in control of the Assembly. Republicans held only the Senate.
Lynch had another thought. “Kenny and I both built bipartisan firms,” she said.
In fact, Shapiro has long had good relations with Senate Republicans and Lynch has employed other lobbyists or formed informal alliances with other lobbying firms that have ties to GOP powers in state government. One of her top aides is Patrick McCarthy, a former patronage chief for Pataki. And, Miller's partner in Bolton St. John's, Adler, has long been a political operative with campaign clients who include numerous state Senate Republicans. Grandeau said that could well be a factor. “All the top firms have branched out and brought in players from the other side,” he said.
The report showed the three top firms took in more than $18 million, or 12 percent of the total.
That was a nice haul for Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker ($7.9 million, up 13 percent from 2005); Bolton St. John's ($5.2 million, up 35 percent); and Patricia Lynch Associates ($5.1 million, up 19 percent).
Wilson Elser's top lobbyist in Albany is Kenneth Shapiro, who was the chief counsel to three Assembly speakers before shifting to lobbying in 1989. Bolton St. John's top operatives are Mel Miller, who was Assembly speaker from 1987-91, and Norman Adler, who was a top aide to Miller in the Assembly. Patricia Lynch was a top adviser to current Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver until she quit at the end of 2000 to start her own lobbying firm. Within three months, her firm's earnings were approaching the $1 million mark.
Shapiro has kept Wilson Elser in the top spot in lobbying income since 1996. A firm with strong Republican links briefly took over the top spot in 1995 when Republican George Pataki took office, but Shapiro's slip into the No. 2 spot lasted only that one year.
“I've thought about this numerous times and I couldn't come up with a reason,” Shapiro said when asked why firms with strong ties to Assembly Democrats have dominated the top spots recently despite the fact that Pataki was governor and Republicans have ruled the state Senate since 1965.
“I think it's pure coincidence,” said Lynch.
She noted that while she has well-known ties to Silver and the Assembly's Democratic majority, “my first job was 13 years in the Senate (Democratic) minority.”
David Grandeau, the lobbying commission's executive director, said there might be other factors at work to explain the success of top firms.
“I have long believed that most clients that hire lobbyists are wasting their money,” he said.
“Having said that, a client who hires a lobbyist to stop something from happening probably is investing their money more wisely than the client who hires them trying to get something to happen.”
“It's far easier to destroy than to create,” said the lobbying regulator.
“If you follow that logic, hiring an Assembly-connected lobbying firm during the prior (Pataki) administration makes sense - all you needed was one to say ‘No,”' said Grandeau, noting that laws don't get adopted unless they pass both houses of the Legislature and are signed by the governor.
Grandeau said that if his theory holds, the thing to watch for with Democrat Eliot Spitzer in the governor's office as of Jan. 1 is a move into the top ranks of lobbying firms by a Republican-linked company.
More likely, he said, is “a mega-merger between two of these top 10 firms” that would bring together powerful lobbyists with strong links to both sides.
There is a problem with Grandeau's odd-man-out theory. When Shapiro took his firm to the top ranks of lobbying companies, Democrat Mario Cuomo was governor and Democrats were in control of the Assembly. Republicans held only the Senate.
Lynch had another thought. “Kenny and I both built bipartisan firms,” she said.
In fact, Shapiro has long had good relations with Senate Republicans and Lynch has employed other lobbyists or formed informal alliances with other lobbying firms that have ties to GOP powers in state government. One of her top aides is Patrick McCarthy, a former patronage chief for Pataki. And, Miller's partner in Bolton St. John's, Adler, has long been a political operative with campaign clients who include numerous state Senate Republicans. Grandeau said that could well be a factor. “All the top firms have branched out and brought in players from the other side,” he said.
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