The year 2020 was different in many ways for governments. Dropping revenues, the ceding of legislative powers to the governor, and a Legislature that ran about half of its session mostly on Zoom, including approval of the annual budget, were all milestones for New York.
Another feature was a drop in lobbying activities. Total statewide spending on lobbying activities was down $30 million or 10 percent from the 2019 numbers.
This blog has reviewed the list of Western New York firms and organizations that employed lobbyists for several years, beginning with activities in 2014 and continuing every year through 2019. (You can use this blog’s search tool on the homepage to look up previous years’ posts.) The most recent report, for the year 2020, was published by the Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) on July 8th.
Lobbying is still big business in New York State. In 2020, according to JCOPE, a total of $268.1 million was spent on lobbying work in the state. Here are some other highlights from JCOPE’s report:
- The number of clients increased slightly, while the number of individual lobbyists remained steady.
- The list of top 10 highest-spending lobbying entities for 2020 included traditionally active industries and interests related to business, real estate, healthcare, and education, but with some notable changes as to the entities within those industries that were in the Top 10.
- Six of the top 10 spenders listed COVID-19 related lobbying activities in their 2020 lobbying reports. The year also reflected a higher involvement of groups with criminal justice and civil rights interests.
- Though it spent less than in 2019, Greater New York Hospital Association, Inc. took the top spot in 2020, reporting more than $2.99 million in lobbying spending compared to 2019, when they ranked third among the top 10 entities with just over $3 million.
- Consistent with its ranking in 2019, 1199 SEIU Labor Management Initiatives, Inc. Healthcare Education Project continued to be the second-highest spender in 2020. Rounding out the top 10 in 2020 were New York State United Teachers (up from #9 in 2019); FWD.US, Inc. (new to the top 10); New York State Trial Lawyers Association (up from #10 last year); Genting New York LLC; AARP; FWRA LLC; New Yorkers United For Justice (down from #4 last year) and RAI Services Company (new to the top 10).
This post drills down to the firms, governments and organizations based in Western New York employing lobbyists or doing their own lobbying work in 2020. Total spending by local firms, governments and organizations in 2020 was almost $4.8 million, a decrease of approximately $600,000 or 11 percent compared to 2019. As has been the case in recent years, the local lobbying business is led by the firm of Masiello, Martucci and Associates (MM), which had $1,855,546 in local billings last year. O’Donnell & Associates (OA) was second at $515,288. E3 came in third at $268,000.
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 who had local business in 2020:
BSJ Bolton St. Johns
BW Brown & Weinraub
CHC Capital Health 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
HR Hodgson Russ
JRD J.R. Drexelius
LS Lawrence Schillinger
MR Malkin & Ross
MPP Manatt, Phelps & Phillips
MM Masiello, Martucci
MPA Mercury Public Affairs
OA O’Donnell & Associates
PG Parkside Group
PS Park Strategies
PBD Pitta Bishop & Del Giorno
RM Richardson Management
SH Sheridan Hofman & Associates
USA Upstate Strategic Advisors
ZGA ZGA, LLC
Here is the list of 112 local firms, governments and organizations that employed lobbyists or conducted their own lobbying work in 2020.
Client Lobby Firms Total 2020 Costs
Albright-Knox Art Gallery MM $18,000
OA 10,500
Allegany County IDA BSJ $41,314
American Medical Response MM $54,100
Archer, Daniel,Midland MM $36,000
ArtPark & Company MM $42,050
Assn. of Plumbing,Heating,Cooling Con. CG $12,000
Buffalo & Erie Co. Botanical Gardens MM $30,374
Buffalo City Cemetery FWC $60,231
MM $24,000
Buffalo Computer Graphics BW $60,894
Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus MM $36,100
Buffalo Niagara Partnership $17,052
Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper OA $291
Buffalo PBA E3 $27,500
Buffalo State College $26,290
Buffalo Zoo MM $24,216
Canisius College $100
Catholic Health System $110,500
Center for Elder Law & Justice MM $40,042
City of Buffalo MM $60,000
City of Lackawanna MM $3,000
Chocolate Delivery Systems USA $10,000
Corky Burger Productions MM $17,550
County of Niagara MM $60,000
Creative Structure Services MM $18,100
Delaware North Companies OA $75,000
DA $146,312
Delta Sonic MM $16,000
DePaul MM $12,100
Developmental Disability Alliance JRD $48,000
District Council 4, Painters PBD $26,025
D’Youville College MM $90,368
Erie County Medical Center MM $48,676
Erie County Water Authority HSE $60,000
Evans Bank RM $25,000
Evergreen Health Services of WNY MR $48,435
Fallon Health Weinberg HSA $60,468
FNUB, Inc. OA $77,271
Fresenius Medical Care MM $45,000
GAR Associates MM $27,500
ES $49,519
Genesee County Economic Dev. PS $19,653
Greater Bflo. United Accountable Care BSJ $60,440
Greenman Petersen MM $36,000
Greenwich Biosciences MM $86,510
Hamburg Central SD MM $3,232
Highmark Western & NE NY MMP $36,000
Independent Health Association SH $58,800
Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries LS $28,500
John W. Danforth Company MM $36,000
EA $36,000
Kaleida Health MM $110,188
Magellan Technologies USA $7,500
Maid of the Mist Corp. MM $60,200
Main Place Liberty Group MM $20,000
Medaille College Foundation OA $60,291
Mensch Capital Partners MM $36,100
MHG Telco MM $42,100
Modern Corp. MM $54,100
Montante Group E3 $78,000
National Fuel Gas E3 $60,000
SPA $50,118
HSE $19,364
National Strategies MM $14,817
Neighborhood Legal Services BSJ $24,000
New Era Cap Company OA $60,291
New York Automated Vending Assn. MM $25,100
Niagara Falls Bridge Commission BSJ $37,126
OA $72,291
Niagara Frontier Auto Dealers Assn. HSE $24,059
Niagara Frontier Transportation Auth. MM $78,000
NIDUS Development MM $24,200
NOCO E3 $24,000
North American Breweries RMS $15,000
Olin E3 $7,500
OLV Human Services OA $12,379
Parkview Health Services MM $18,200
Pegula Sports & Entertainment $164,256
People, Inc. Foundation MM $36,100
Phillips Lytle MM $36,300
Pyramid Management Group PG $30,000
Premier Genesee Center CHC $22,500
Presbyterian Senior Care MM $2,500
Property Registration Champions MM $12,200
Ralph C. Wilson Foundation OA $60,291
Reenergy Holdings HR $3,015
Regional Community Service Programs MR $44,114
Rich Baseball Operations MM $7,500
Rigidized Metal Corp. OA $26,291
RJ Watson MM $12,000
Rosina Food Products MM $36,612
Roswell Park Cancer Institute $188,954
Save Ontario Shore, Inc. MM $23,000
Seneca Nation of Indians MM $100,000
HS $120,000
Shea’s O’Connell Preservation Guild MM $30,200
Sinatra and Company MM $36,000
South Buffalo R.R. HSE $13,722
Spark Therapeutics MM $48,100
Tac Air MM $36,000
TM Montante Development E3 $35,000
Town of Cheektowaga OA $36,000
Trocaire College E3 $36,000
University at Buffalo $355,589
Upstate Pharmacy HR $23,331
Vegetable Growers ZGA $25,152
Western Central Coalition for Children GT $21,523
Western New York Energy PS $37,550
Western New York Hospital Assn. $15,590
Western Regional OTB MPA $96,000
USA $56,000
Wheatfield Gardens RM $44,000
William Schutt & Associates MM $18,200
WNY MRI OA $770
WNY Women’s Foundation $1,762
ZG Investors MM $13,648
What are the results of all this lobbying work? The private companies who are on the list will undoubtedly keep such information private unless a government contract is involved, but there are a number of local governments and public institutions included here. Cumulatively their spending adds up to nearly $1.2 million in public funds. What they were looking for from their lobbying and what they actually achieved are important public questions.
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