Budget-wise, things have been getting tight in Albany recently and the prospects for 2021 and beyond are distressing. The urge to spend state money by new state legislators from New York City in 2020 was tempered by the realities of diminishing tax revenues as well as Governor Andrew Cuomo’s interest in continuing to hold down the growth in spending. It will get worse before it gets better.
Nonetheless, determining how state resources will be used continues to feed a large segment of the business community that tries every year to get a new or larger piece of the pie. Lobbying was alive and well in New York State in 2019.
The year 2020 has been different in terms of tanking state revenues, ceding of legislative powers to the governor, and perhaps a drop in lobbying activities. We will not see how this year’s lobbying work panned out until mid-2021. In the meantime, here is what we know from the last normal year, 2019.
This blog has reviewed the list of Western New York firms and organizations that employed lobbyists for several years, beginning in 2014, and continuing in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. (You can use this blog’s search tool on the homepage to look up previous years’ posts.) The most recent report, for the year 2019, was published by the Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) this past July 30.
Lobbying is big business in New York State. In 2019, according to JCOPE, a total of $298 million was spent on lobbying work in the state. This was up $36 million from the previous year.
Here’s a summary from JCOPE’s report about lobbying activities:
The list of the top 10 lobbying entities by total spending for 2019 was once again dominated by traditionally active industries and interests related to budget/appropriations, real estate, general business, and health care. Taxpayers for an Affordable NY, Inc. took the top spot in 2019, reporting more than $3.9 million in lobbying spending. Last year’s top spending entity, Uber Technology & Its Affiliates, fell out of the top 10 highest spenders, reporting 78 percent less in 2019, at $1.3 million in lobbying expenditures. It is worth noting that both Taxpayers for an Affordable NY, Inc. and Uber Technology & Its Affiliates are also coalition members of Fix Our Transit, which reported nearly $1.1 million in lobbying spending. Also included in this year’s top 10 were 1199 SEIU Labor Management Initiatives, Inc. Healthcare Education Project, Greater New York Hospital Association, Inc., New Yorkers United for Justice (filing for the first time in 2019), … New York State Laborers-Employers Cooperation and Trust… the Tobacco-Free Kids Action Fund (filing for the first time in 2019), Success Academy Charter Schools, Inc., Coalition for New York’s Future, Inc., the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT), which is also a coalition member of the Patient Protection Coalition, and the New York State Trial Lawyers Association.
This post drills down to the firms and organizations based in Western New York employing lobbyists or doing their own lobby work in 2019. Total spending by local firms and organizations in 2019 was $5.4 million, an increase of three hundred thousand dollars or 5.9 percent over 2018. As has been the case in recent years, the local lobbying business is led by the firm of Masiello, Martucci, Calabrese & Associates (MMC), which had $1,484,026 in local billings last year. Bolton St. John (BSJ) was second at $500,071. E3 rated third with $333,000.
Certain firms and organizations basically represent themselves in the lobbying work and are so noted in the following list. As to the lobbying firms involved, here is a code for the listed clients for who had local business in 2019:
BSJ Bolton St. Johns
BW Brown & Weinraub
CHC Capital Health Consulting
CG Capitol Group
CC Carreau Consulting
DA Dickinson Avella
E3 E3 Communications
EA Empire Advocates
ES Envision Strategy
FWC Featherstonhaugh, Wiley & Clyne
GT Greenberg Traurig
HSE Harter Secrest Emery
HSA Hinman Straub
JRD J.R. Drexelius
LS Lawrence Schillinger
MC McBride Consultants
MR Malkin & Ross
MPP Manatt, Phelps & Phillips
MMC Masiello, Martucci, Calabrese
MPA Mercury Public Affairs
NFBS Niagara Frontier Business Solutions
OA O’Donnell & Associates
PG Parkside Group
PS Park Strategies
PBD Pitta Bishop & Del Giorno
RM Richardson Management
SA Sheridan Hofman & Associates
SPA Statewide Public Affairs
SDS Strategic Development Specialists
USA Upstate Strategic Advisors
ZGA ZGA, LLC
Here is the list of 111 local firms and organizations that employed lobbyists or conducted their own lobbying work in 2019. There were 15 new firms and organizations signed on for lobbying last year while 17 dropped off from the 2018 list. The sports world became involved in lobbying activity as Rich Baseball Operations, Pegula Sports and Entertainment, and the Ralph C. Wilson Foundation filed lobbying reports with JCOPE in 2019.
Client Lobby Firms Total 2019 Expenses
Albright-Knox Art Gallery MMC $18,000
Archer Daniels (Personius Melber) MMC $36,000
Assn. of Ambulatory Surgery Centers E3 $46,000
Association of Electrical Workers $121,218
Association of Home Inspectors PG $6,000
Assn. of Plumbing,Heating,Cooling Con. CG $12,000
Athletic Trainers Association CC $39,996
Baker Victory Services BSJ $15,360
Buffalo & Erie Co. Naval Military Park BSJ $15,708
OA $3,000
Buffalo & Erie Co. Botanical Gardens MMC $48,000
Buffalo City Cemetery FWC $40,233
MMC $24,000
Buffalo Computer Graphics BW $60,919
Buffalo/Lake Erie Wireless Systems MMC $42,000
Buffalo Niagara Association of Realtors $13,175
Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus MMC $36,000
Buffalo Niagara Partnership $24,858
Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper BSJ $708
Buffalo State College $15,774
Buffalo Transportation USA $8,000
Buffalo Zoo MMC $24,171
Bus Patrol America USA $60,000
Canisius College $200
Catholic Health System HH $39,000
Center for Elder Law & Justice $109,802
MMC $26,310
City of Buffalo MMC $50,885
City of Lackawanna MMC $36,147
Coalition for Community Building MMC $40,500
Corky Burger Productions MMC $12,500
County of Niagara MMC $60,093
County of Orleans PS $61,653
Creative Structure Services MMC $18,000
Custom Crews Inc. RM $15,000
Delaware North Companies BSJ $150,879
DA $121,390
Delta Sonic MMC $21,152
Developmental Disability Alliance JRD $42,000
Diamond Game Enterprises (Hodgson,Russ) $33,612
District Council 4, Painters PBD $25,998
D’Youville College MMC $90,756
Erie County Medical Center MMC $48,000
Erie County Water Authority HSE $60,465
Evans Bank RM $30,000
Evergreen Health Services of WNY MR $48,435
Fair Committee USA $9,000
Fallon Health Weinberg HSA $60,468
FNUB, Inc. BSJ $77,794
OA $3,000
Fresenius Kabi USA SPA $42,000
GAR Associates MMC $30,000
ES $86,757
Genesee County Economic Dev. PS $19,653
Greenman Petersen MMC $36,000
Hauptman-Woodward HSE $54,477
HealthNow New York MMP $36,000
Hispanic Heritage Council WNY $118
Independent Health Association SPA $58,800
SH $58,800
Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries LS $43,500
Jamestown Brewing (Hodgson,Russ) BSJ $5,163
John W. Danforth Company MMC $36,000
NFBS $12,000
EA $36,000
Kaleida Health MMC $113,300
Ken-Ton School District MMC $9,863
Magellan Technologies USA $7,500
Maid of the Mist Corp. MMC $50,036
Medaille College BSJ $50,708
OA $10,000
Mensch Capital Partners MMC $24,000
Modern Corp. MMC $54,000
Montante Group E3 $39,000
Montante Morgan Gates Circle E3 $18,000
Natl. Assn. of Industrial Office Parks MMC $24,000
National Fuel Gas E3 $48,000
GT $45,000
SPA $50,139
HSE $19,364
Neighborhood Legal Services BSJ $24,000
New Era Cap Company BSJ $50,000
OA $10,000
Niagara Falls Bridge Commission PS $90,708
Niagara Frontier Auto Dealers Assn. HSE $25,676
Niagara Frontier Transportation Auth. MMC $78,000
NOCO E3 $24,000
North American Breweries RMS $15,000
Olin E3 $45,000
Parkview Health Services MMC $18,348
Pegula Sports & Entertainment $67,689
People, Inc. $36,438
Phillips Lytle MMC $66,000
Plus Power (Hodgson,Russ) $8,014
Pyramid Management Group PG $30,000
Power for Economic Prosperity E3 $18,000
Premier Genesee Center CHC $30,000
Public Housing Auth Directors Assn. EA $36,000
Ralph C. Wilson Foundation $60,879
OA $5,000
Reenergy Holdings (Hodgson,Russ) $8,199
Regional Community Service Programs MR $57,156
Rich Baseball Operations MMC $22,731
Rigidized Metal Corp. BSJ $40,708
OA $8,000
Rosina Food Products MMC $36,000
Roswell Park Cancer Institute $212,216
Save Ontario Shore, Inc. MMC $30,000
Seneca-Larkin 701 $708
Seneca Nation of Indians MMC $121,234
Shea’s O’Connell Preservation Guild MMC $30,000
Sinatra and Company MMC $36,000
South Buffalo R.R. $16,078
TM Montante Development E3 $35,000
Town of Cheektowaga BSJ $36,808
OA $3,000
Trocaire College E3 $60,000
University at Buffalo $399,555
Raul Vazquez, M.D. MMC $18,000
Vegetable Growers SPA $24,923
Western Central Coalition for Children GT $21,523
Western New York Energy PS $24,000
Western New York Hospital Assn. $5,484
Western New York Law Center BSJ $32,235
Western Regional OTB MPA $108,000
SDS $25,000
USA $53,500
Wheatfield Gardens RM $60,000
William Schutt & Associates MMC $18,000
WNY Women’s Foundation $1,762
The remaining question: after looking at the data, what is the result of all this lobbying work? The private companies who are on the list will undoubtedly keep such information private (unless there are public contracts for services and products), but there are a number of local governments and public institutions included here. Cumulatively their spending adds up to nearly $1.5 million in public funds. What were they looking for from their lobbying and what they actually achieved are important public questions. That is a story for another day.
Politics and Other Stuff 
According to politifact there are a few categories in which New York City receives more than it puts in, but overall, the difference between how much is paid in taxes and how much is spent on services and projects benefits Western New York- not New York City. This is an old canard Republicans use nationwide as well. They try to tell us blue states suck money from red states but the truth is for every dollar a red state gives to the federal government they receive somewhere between $1.25-$1.50 while for every dollar a blue state sends to Washington they get about $.75 in return. Just math.
I will completely agree though the influence from unions is out of control. Somehow it just doesn’t seem fair that we as individuals don’t have the same oomph, as say, a teachers union.
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Lobbying, particularly in western New York is not as simple as saying that local businesses are looking for political influence. The problem that western New York faces is downstate and knows that downstate controls the governor, the lt governor, the legislature and most of the judiciary. Its a one party state controlled by one city or region in the state. If NYC needs to subway cars then float a bond deal that upstate has to sign off on the liability. If NYC is going bankrupt, the governor will bail them out and make the entire state pay for it. Everything in western New York is built around siphoning money from the entire state and re-allocating it to downstate and in return downstate writes all their laws tailored to downstate which has the money to afford such regulations and bureaucracy but upstate and western New York interpret as just more regulatory burden because our business community cannot afford running our city’s and county govt as downstate.
In some cases local business lobbying is the one of the few means of private sector influence in local govt and in state govt that allows our region to have a voice in the downstate laws, regulations, taxes, bonds, etc which ultimately we (our city, our region) will have to pay.
The two things I think should be banned statewide from political lobbying and political donations (but will neve happen) are non-profits and govt unions. The whole purpose of a non-profit is to serve the public good and political donations divert money from that mission. Govt unions already have enough power. Their large voting block is often enough to render the individual voter as irrelevant in an election. The union vote is enough and they should not be allowed greater power by participating in elections or making political donations.
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Ken….really enjoyed your piece on funding of judicial races…they squeeze every penny they can out of judicial candidates and their loved ones…It’s a great job if you get it, but look at how many people “raised” hundreds of thousands of dollars and never got a judgeship.
And then, strangely, a few people get judgeships without raising any money.
Great to see you partnering with Jim Heaney…he’s a tremendous, crusading journalist and a great friend.
Someday, I hope, we can have that cup of coffee.
Stay safe and healthy for the holidays…Dan Herbeck
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