With New Clients Comes Need For Quick Schooling

To hear a lobbyist tell it, finding new clients and learning about new issues is one of the best parts of the job.

As the next legislative session inches closer, new organizations and companies that have signed lobbyists and registered with the state have begun to trickle in. Since September, roughly a dozen entities have entered the lobbying arena and that number is sure to increase by February.

“The most important thing when you get a new client is to learn as much as possible about what they do and what their issues are,” said Keith Stover, with Robinson & Cole. “It’s really one of the cool things that makes our jobs interesting. New things tend to be more interesting, for us and for legislators.”

Joining Robinson & Cole’s long list of clients is Galasso Materials, LLC, a trucking company based out of East Granby.

The reason that the education of lobbyists is so crucial to success is because, simply, the company’s officials cannot always be around to answer questions.

“You can’t constantly have the client with you to give those answers,” Stover said. “We really spend a lot of time getting to know every little detail about their business so we don’t have to keep going to them for answers.”

Meeting with clients in person is the preferred method of transferring information, but sometimes that could involve some travel time.

For example, Carahsoft Technology Corp., an information technology company based in Virginia, has secured the lobbying services of Jim O’Brien for the upcoming session. To meet in person, O’Brien would have to hop on a plane.

There is also a tremendous amount of research that is involved with new clients, or even current clients that have new pressure issues, asserted Betty Gallo, with Betty Gallo & Co.

Currently in negotiations with three prospective new clients, Gallo said that her current focus has been on the subprime loan crisis that is now on the radar of the Fair Housing Center.

Financial Figuring

“Just like with a new client, it’s an entirely new issue to me because we don’t normally do a lot with banking,” she said. “It means a lot of research and a lot of reading, but it is to some degree the best part of this job. I’m learning about something new that I didn’t know about.”

The initial wave of newly registered clients run the gamut, from health care organizations like the Rushford Center or the Connecticut Alliance for Subacute Healthcare to Lehman Brothers, Inc., a global investment company.

Though lobbyists agree on the importance of educating themselves on new clients, they were unsure if the blank slate is a positive or a negative when it comes to the actual lobbying.

On the one hand, the legislators have no perception of a client making its first in-roads at the state capitol and there is an opportunity there to make a solid impression. Conversely, legislators may not be as aware or educated on the new client’s issues because they haven’t come up before.

“When I go in to meet with a legislator on same-sex marriage, there is a sense of what’s going to be said,” said Gallo.

A new client can mean interactions with legislators that a lobbyist may not deal with on a regular basis. Gallo noted that one obstacle can be forming working relationships that were not there in the past.

For Stover, he would not describe pushing the issues of new clients as more difficult or better, but simply as different.

“We’re at a different stage with new clients than we are with clients that have been around for years,” he said. “But it keeps our business interesting because it’s a matter of finding out solutions to new problems.”

Towns Are Wild West Of Lobbying Ethics

It’s a short walk from Hartford City Hall to the state capitol but in terms of lobbying, they might as well be in different countries.

While the Office of State Ethics carefully monitors and regulates every aspect of lobbying at the state level, the office has zero authority over municipal ethics.

That isn’t to say ethics are ignored by individual cities and towns, in fact many have their own ethics boards or commission. It just means lobbyists are playing two ballgames, one at the state level and one at the town level.

“On the state side, it is a much more formal process,” said William Malitsky, with Halloran & Sage. “There’s always the same number of steps that are followed the same way, from a public hearing to committee meetings, for each piece of legislation.”

Conversely, Malitsky said that each town has its own procedures to follow and it’s crucial for lobbyists to be aware of the differences.

“It’s pretty much the same in how we approach issues, in that we’re doing lots of work to educate as many folks as possible,” he said. “The difference is how you go about doing that.”

The stark contrast between state and municipal lobbying is evident by the different people, or in some cases the same people, who get involved in issues.

Family Time

Essentially, the state capitol is one big family. The same lobbyists, the same legislators and the same office staff tend to be around for a while.

“When you lobby at the state, you know that you’re going to see that person, that legislator, that staff member again when dealing with different issues,” said Kevin Reynolds, with Updike, Kelly & Spellacy. “During the course of a session, you tend to keep running into people. That whole relationship aspect is usually not there on the town side.”

Customarily, lobbyists are dealing with specific people in towns, perhaps a business manager or finance director, and do so on a very infrequent basis in some instances.

It makes for an odd transition for lobbyists to go from working with known quantities at the state to unknown question marks at the local level.

“We’ve had clients that hired us because they knew we had good relationships with board members of a particular municipality or just that we’ve worked there before,” Reynolds said.

The issues that draw lobbyists to Connecticut’s smaller towns tend to be more high-profile, at least in the town itself.

“You can have issues in the legislature that are very, very low-profile,” Reynolds said. “But the issues at the town level tend to be more known and may be more important to those in the town.”

Malitsky agreed, to a point, that municipal issues draw more attention in general but said that the attention is paid by a small group.

Focus Of A Few

“I live in Hebron, have children in the school system and I try to pay attention to what’s going on,” he said. “Mostly I just follow what [reporters] write but I can’t attend meetings. There is always that small, core group that pays attention to everything.”

There are other quirks for lobbyists to be aware of as they venture into municipalities, chief among them that not all towns require lobbyists to register as they do with the state.

“When you register, it lets the public and others know who is influencing who,” Reynolds said. “If the best friend of the mayor is hired for something, for example, you would have that public disclosure. But only certain municipalities do that.”

Another interesting twist is how lobbyists who are stuck at a crossroads locally can head to Hartford to solve their problems, especially when it comes to construction projects.

“In certain cases, there are issues because of local restrictions that you can go to the state legislature to try to get fixed,” Malitsky said. “If there are restrictions on water run-off or sewage usage, a developer can turn to the state to change the regulations.”

Game Faces Stay On In The Offseason

For legislators, the General Assembly is a part-time job, and more than half the year, the capitol is empty. But for full-time lobbyists, some of the most important work happens when the legislative session concludes.

The period from now until February — known as the offseason, when legislators are out of session – is a critical time for lobbyists. Clients need briefings on law changes. Next session’s issues need analysis. The planning and preparation lobbyists do over the next few months can make or break their year once lawmakers return.

“The issues don’t go away; it’s the time they can take action that does,” said Patricia LeShane of Sullivan & LeShane. “It’s been a full-time legislature forever if you ask me, and there are more and more issues that the state governments are involved in.”

LeShane is not alone in her assessment.

“We are just as busy during the offseason as we are during the sessions,” said Linda Kowalski of the Kowalski Group. “There are always things to be done for our clients.”

Currently, Kowalski said she is working with state agencies and her clients to make sure everyone is up to speed on laws passed during the most recent session. She is in constant contact with her health care clients, such as Community Health Centers Inc. and the Connecticut Association of Optometrists, to update them on insurance information, she said.

But even as they keep one eye on what has already happened, lobbyists must also stay focused on the upcoming 2008 legislative session, which starts in February.

“It may seem early to get started on next year, but now is the time to prepare,” Kowalski said. “The state agencies have already submitted what their budgets and legislative priorities are.”

By getting the jump now, Kowalski believes she and her clients will be more apt to take advantage of issues and be successful.

“I can tell you from experience that when we are able to expect what’s going to be on the agenda, often times we’re better at getting our issues across,” she said.

Time To Regroup

Keeping in touch with current clients and maintaining regular meetings is another key for lobbyists looking for a successful 2008.

Christopher Cloud, of Camilliere, Cloud and Kennedy, believes that the regular meetings with clients are vital in the offseason and prefers those meetings take place in person.

“You want to sit down, map out strategies for the upcoming session and talk about things that didn’t get done last year,” he said. “A lot is done over the phone or the Internet, but it still doesn’t replace that face-to-face interaction.”

In the past week, Cloud said he had three meetings with clients. He also said that he likes to take time when the General Assembly is not in session to talk to legislators.

“It’s a lot easier to talk to them this time of year because they’re more relaxed. There’s not a bunch of people trying to get at them,” he said.

That’s not to say that lobbyists spend their entire summer and fall working towards the next session.

“If we have clients that have issues in Washington, we try to focus on those,” said Cloud. “A lot of our business comes from business development in the offseason. We have clients that are looking for help and we try to identify ways that we can help them.”

Additionally, Cloud said that there are also nonprofit organizations, fund-raisers and charity events that can keep anyone busy.

The offseason also provides an opportunity for lobbyists to take part in activities that time simply won’t allow when the session is in.

“I try to be very active in the community,” LeShane said. “I kind of backload all the work I do for boards so I can run around all summer and do it because they won’t see me from January to June.”

And of course, there is some time to relax.

“We play golf,” Cloud said. “Or at least I do.”

“Yep, it’s a strong vacation time,” LeShane said.

Hodgson Put In Temporary Command Of Ethics Office

Where there was once confusion and uncertainty, the Office of State Ethics appears to have found clarity and answers.

The start of October marked an important crossroads for the office. At the end of September, the terms of three members of its advisory board would end. There was still no replacement for outgoing executive director Benjamin Bycel. And there were no answers.

Those answers started to appear just last week when the Citizen’s Ethics Advisory Board announced it has selected Beverly Hodgson as the office’s interim director.

Hodgson was a Superior Court Judge from 1987 to 2003 and has since become an arbitrator and mediator.

Patricia Hendel, the former chairperson of the advisory board, said that Hodgson would serve on a part-time basis for the next two months as the board continues its aggressive search for a full-time replacement.

The Office of State Ethics has been running smoothly in the past several weeks even if it has not been easy on staff.

“We’ve been operating pretty well because the staff that is here has really stepped up and worked extra hard,” Hendel said. “I’m in contact with the staff almost every day and my successor…will likely do so as well.”

The timeframe for having a new executive director in place is far from concrete, though Hendel is cautiously optimistic.

“Personally, I would hope that we would have one in place by November,” she said. “Some people have told me that things like this can take a long time and it could take longer. I would hope that if we’re not 100 percent certain that we’ve found someone, that we would wait another couple weeks to find that right person.”

Vacancies Remain

With an interim executive director in place and hope springing for a full-time one by the end of the year, it would seem the Office of State Ethics has gotten everything in order.

But not everything is as cut and dry as it appears.

On Sept. 30, the terms of chairwoman Hendel, and board members Rebecca Doty and Scott Storms expired.

During its meeting on Sept. 27, the board voted to make Robert Worgaftik chairman after he had served as the board’s vice chairman. Board member Enid Oresman was selected to now serve as vice chairwoman.

There is a slight problem for the board moving forward because there are currently two empty seats. And no one knows who will fill those spots or when.

Finding a replacement for Doty was easy. House Majority Leader Christopher Donovan, D-Meriden, had to appoint a replacement and he simply reappointed Doty.

The other two are to be appointed by Speaker of the House James Amann, D-Milford, and House Minority Leader Lawrence Carefo, R-Norwalk.

Amann’s office and Cafero’s office did not respond about who would be appointed.

When it comes to the status of the advisory board and the future membership, maybe not all the answers have been procured.

“We don’t know who our next board members will be,” said Cynthia Isales, Office of State Ethics’ assistant general counsel.

“It’s the first time since I’ve been here that we’re going through this and I don’t know what’s going to happen,” said Barbara Housen, general counsel for the office.

Before her term expired, Hendel was in the dark on who would follow her and was disappointed that the board was not given any information.

“My answer is, don’t ask me,” said Hendel. “I don’t know. I have no information as to who my successor would be.”

It would seem the answer could lie in the governor’s office, but Eric Ducey, with Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s communications office, said the decisions are not made there.

“The three board members who have terms expiring were not appointed by the governor,” Ducey said. “Usually when the terms expire, they keep serving until someone else is appointed or they are reappointed.”

That does not appear to be the case. In a statement announcing the selection of an interim director, Hendel indicated that she had attended her last meeting.

Even Obscure Organizations Need A Little Lobbying

Public golf courses, massage therapy and indoor tanning are not exactly the most pressing or publicized issues in the state legislature.

But don't diminish the importance of new regulations to a golf course owner or a massage therapist. For them, these seemingly minor issues could ruin their businesses.

The Connecticut Center of Massage Therapy, Inc. is represented by Betty Gallo & Co. and the past session was spent on the issue of advertising.

"There was an effort to make sure that only licensed massage therapists could use those words in advertising," said Betty Gallo. "There was some concern on behalf of the client about unlicensed therapists doing so."

Gallo represents other non-profit institutions that bring with them immediate recognition. Topics like gay rights, pushed by Love Makes A Family, or the efforts of the Connecticut Fair Housing Center were likely already on the minds of legislatures.

But massage therapy?

"It's really like any other issue because we have to educate people," said Gallo. "Even if they think they understand it, there are going to be aspects that are not commonly known."

It was actually relatively easy, she said, to educate people on the massage therapy issues because most people are familiar with it.

"There are a lot of incredibly complicated issues that people couldn't possible understand and some that aren't so complicated," she said.

Lay Of The Land

Alan Deckman, of the TCORS Capitol Group, can sympathize with Gallo's statement.

On one hand, he represents the Connecticut Association of Privately-Owned Public Golf Courses on a litany of complicated issues. Simultaneously, he lobbies for the New England Trail Riders' Association and its singular aim at the much-discussed topic of all-terrain vehicles.

For the golf course owners, Deckman said the issues that are followed range from water quality to environmental bills to various property tax measures. At the forefront are tax issues, a subject that Deckman described as "incredibly complicated."

"The biggest challenges with the golf course owners is the various levels of complexity with the proposals," he said. "Golf course owners not only pay taxes on their land, equipment and buildings but also a per-hole improvement fee that is pretty arbitrary."

For example, the improvement fee changes dramatically from town to town and can be different by hundreds of thousands of dollars.

"With those issues, I'm really trying to simplify it as much as possible," said Deckman. "The golf issues are way more convoluted than the ATV issues. It's a combination of educated advocacy and understanding to answer the questions [legislators] might have."

For the trail riders' association, there were 12 different bills proposed during the last session that in some way pertained to them, specifically dealing with all-terrain vehicles and whether universal registration was necessary.

House Bill 7277, which would have required universal registration, died in the Transportation Committee and the issue remains undecided going into the new session.

"It really looked at the beginning of the session that there was some momentum and there would be a resolution," said Deckman. "Things get pretty crazy towards the end and it just got lost."

The Dark Side

The Washington D.C.-based Indoor Tanning Association has secured the Kowalski Group as its lobbyists for laws and regulations that many people may not know exist.

"There are a lot of issues and concerns over the common regulations that tanning salons have to abide by," said Karen Weeks, with the Kowalski Group. "For example, if it's connected to a hair salon, there are changes affecting those business that end up affecting the tanning salon."

Echoing what others said, Weeks believes the key in lobbying for the lesser-known associations and groups is making sure the legislators grasp exactly what the issue is.