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Lobbying activity makes the world go around in Albany. It was spinning quickly in 2022-2023.
Total statewide spending on lobbying activities through May 2022 was up $39 million or 13 percent from the previous year. In the 2022-2023 reporting year, through May 2023, a total of $331 million was spent on lobbying work in the state.
The most recent report on lobbying was published by Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government (CELG) last month. Here are some highlights from CELG’s report:
- Total lobbying spending in 2022 eclipsed pre-pandemic records… the previous annual spending record of $298.08 million [was] set in 2019.
- The Top 10 Client Spenders continued to direct most of their spending toward expenses, even as the overall trend of lobbying expenditures continued to shift toward compensation over expenses in 2022. Compensation paid to retained and in-house (employee) lobbyists climbed to nearly $304 million.
- 1199SEIU Labor Management Initiatives, Inc. Healthcare Education Project re-emerged as the year’s top spender after a brief hiatus from the top 10 list. The healthcare industry union reported $5.726 million in lobbying compensation and expenses in 2022, more than doubling the organization’s lobbying spending in 2020, when they ranked #2 and reported $2.54 million in paid compensation and expenses.
- Labor continued to be the major focus among the Top 10 Client Spenders, including Greater New York Hospital Association (#2 in 2022, down from #1 in 2021); 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East (ranked #4); AARP (ranked #5, down from #3 in 2021); United University Professions, Inc. (ranked #6); and Public Employees Federation (ranked #9, their first time in the Top 10 since 2014 when they ranked #7).
This blog has reviewed the list of Western New York firms and organizations that employed lobbyists beginning with activities in 2014 and continuing every year since then. You can search for reports from previous years by using the Search tool at the top of the Politics and Other Stuff website.
This post drills down to the firms, governments and organizations based in Western New York employing lobbyists or doing their own lobbying work in 2022-2023. Total spending by identifiable local firms, governments, and organizations last year was approximately $3.6 million, a decrease of approximately $400,000 or 10 percent compared to 2021. As has been the case in recent years, the local lobbying business was led by the firm of Masiello, Martucci and Associates, which had $1,341,503 in identifiable local billings last year; that was down about $22,000 from the previous year. O’Donnell & Associates was again second at $725,278 (up approximately $87,000 from last year). Rounding out the top five were E3 Communications ($220,000); Hinman Straub ($217,415); and Lippes Mathias ($164,154).
It would be interesting to know how all that lobbying benefited the 67 local firms, governments, and organizations paying these millions of dollars, but such things are not publicly reported.
It should be noted that lobbyist firms with local connections are often retained by businesses and organizations that do not have a western New York base. Out of western New York lobbying clients can add significant revenues to a firm’s income.
A local angle identified by CELG is “Filings Ranked by Parties Lobbied.” The top 23 “Parties Lobbied” list includes just eight of the 213 state legislators or their staffs. The legislator with the most contacts was Senator Tim Kennedy of Buffalo, who was ranked tenth. Senator Kennedy is the Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee. A total of 782 contact filings were reported concerning Kennedy plus another 673 with his staff. Governor Kathy Hochul had 730 contacts. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins were contacted fewer times than Kennedy.
Kennedy is also high on another list kept by a state agency. The Board of Elections reported in July that Kennedy has more than $2 million in his campaign treasury, which is more than what all other local state legislators have combined in their campaign accounts. This points to the connection between lobbying activities and campaign fundraising.
Certain firms and organizations represent themselves in the lobbying work and are noted without an identified lobbyist in the following list.
Here is the 2022-2023 list of local lobbying participants:
| Business/Govt./Organization | Lobbyist | $ Amount |
| Albright Knox Gallery | Masiello Martucci | 60,000 |
| Albright Knox Gallery | O’Donnell & Associates | 27,252 |
| ArtPark | Masiello Martucci | 42,000 |
| Bassett Healthcare Network | Lippes Mathias | 84,000 |
| Bflo. & Erie Co. Botanical Gardens | Masiello Martucci | 24,000 |
| Buffalo & Pittsburgh RR | Harter Secrest Emery | 11,223 |
| Buffalo Cannabis Co. | Upstate Strategic Advisors | 12,000 |
| Buffalo City Cemetery | Featherstonhaugh | 60,318 |
| Buffalo City Cemetery | Masiello Martucci | 16,000 |
| Buffalo Computer Graphics | Brown & Weinraub | 6,735 |
| Buffalo Zoo | Masiello Martucci | 8,000 |
| Buffalo Zoo | O’Donnell & Associates | 54,252 |
| CAO of WNY | O’Donnell & Associates | 30,136 |
| Center for Elder Law & Justice | Masiello Martucci | 24,000 |
| City of Buffalo | Masiello Martucci | 60,000 |
| Correctional Officers & PBA | Lippes Mathias | 80,154 |
| County of Niagara | Masiello Martucci | 60,000 |
| Creative Structure Serv. | Masiello Martucci | 18,000 |
| Delaware North Companies | O’Donnell & Associates | 120,252 |
| Delta Sonic | Masiello Martucci | 16,000 |
| D’Youville University | Masiello Martucci | 89,000 |
| ECMC Corp. | Masiello Martucci | 48,000 |
| Erie County Water Auth. | Masiello Martucci | 60,000 |
| Health Care Assn. of WNY | 6,078 | |
| Health Foundation of Cen.&WNY | O’Donnell & Associates | 40,000 |
| Highmark of W. & NE NY | Hinman Straub | 96,905 |
| Independent Health Association | 30,000 | |
| John W. Danforth Co. | Masiello Martucci | 36,000 |
| Kaleida Health | Masiello Martucci | 108,000 |
| Kleinhans Music Hall | E3 Communications | 48,000 |
| Maid of the Mist | Masiello Martucci | 60,000 |
| Main Place Liberty Group | Masiello Martucci | 30,000 |
| Medaille University | O’Donnell & Associates | 40,168 |
| Modern Corp. | Masiello Martucci | 54,000 |
| Montante Companies | E3 Communications | 58,000 |
| National Fuel Gas | E3 Communications | 60,000 |
| National Fuel Gas | Statewide Public Affairs | 50,853 |
| National Fuel Gas | 216,264 | |
| National Grid | 14,476 | |
| New Era Cap Co. | O’Donnell & Associates | 60,000 |
| NFTA | Masiello Martucci | 78,000 |
| Nia.Fron. Anesthesia Services | Lenihan Strategies | 24,003 |
| Nia.Fron. Auto Dealers Assn. | Masiello Martucci | 24,003 |
| Niagara Falls Bridge Commission | Bolton St. John | 15,426 |
| Niagara Falls Bridge Commission | O’Donnell & Associates | 72,252 |
| Niagara University | O’Donnell & Associates | 60,252 |
| Noco | E3 Communications | 24,000 |
| OLV Human Services | Masiello Martucci | 9,000 |
| Parkview Health Services | Masiello Martucci | 1,500 |
| Phillips Lytle | Masiello Martucci | 36,000 |
| PVS Chemical Solutions | Masiello Martucci | 60,000 |
| Ralph C. Wilson Foundation | O’Donnell & Associates | 55,252 |
| Rich Baseball Operations | Masiello Martucci | 30,000 |
| Rosina Food Products | Masiello Martucci | 36,000 |
| Roswell Park C.I. | Greenberg Traurig | 96,000 |
| Say Yes Buffalo | Masiello Martucci | 14,000 |
| Seneca Nation | Bolton St. John | 68,200 |
| Seneca Nation | Hinman Straub | 120,510 |
| Seneca Nation | Masiello Martucci | 120,000 |
| Shea’s O’Connell Guild | Masiello Martucci | 30,000 |
| Sinatra & Co. | Masiello Martucci | 36,000 |
| South Buffalo RR | Harter Secrest | 11,223 |
| St. Bonaventure University | 1,064 | |
| Tac Air | Masiello Martucci | 36,000 |
| Town of Cheektowaga Town of Tonawanda | O’Donnell & Associates | 36,000 24,000 |
| Trocaire College | E3 Communications | 30,000 |
| University at Buffalo | 204,705 | |
| Upstate Pharmacy | O’Donnell & Associates | 45,210 |
| Western Regional OTBC | Upstate Strategic Advisors | 42,000 |
| Westminster Community Charter | O’Donnell & Associates | 60,252 |
| William Schutt | Masiello Martucci | 18,000 |
| WNY Energy | Park Strategies | 45,016 |
| WNY Women’s Foundation | 1,528 |
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