Power Lists
Top 60 New York State Lobbyists 2022
The leading government relations firms in the state, ranked by 2021 revenue.
The leading government relations firms in the state, ranked by 2021 revenue. Joe Desiderio/Flickr
Hospitals shaping the response to the coronavirus pandemic. Casino companies pushing for a lucrative expansion into the New York City area. Real estate developers seeking to move forward with major land use projects.
What these efforts – and countless others – have in common is that they’re driven at least in part by well-connected and well-informed lobbyists in Albany and elsewhere across the state. And lobbying activity is on the rise again in New York, with a whopping $292.87 million reported in 2021 alone.
City & State’s annual top lobbyists list highlights the government affairs firms that are bringing in the largest share of that pot. The figures are based on an analysis of compensation figures reported to the Joint Commission on Public Ethics, the state body since rebooted as the state Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government. The list omits other income, such as communications and campaign consulting or federal lobbying income, and excludes entities – such as the Greater New York Hospital Association – that lobby on their own behalf. We also combined lobbying entities that are part of the same corporate family. We then reached out to each firm to identify key industries and clients, and to share the biggest accomplishment and any other notable updates from the past calendar year.
We’re pleased to present New York state’s Top 60 Lobbyists.
1. Brown & Weinraub
David Weinraub, Co-Founder and Managing Partner
Patrick Lespinasse, Partner and New York City Practice Lead
Key industries: Health care, alternative energy, cannabis, transportation and infrastructure, information technology
Notable clients: Ørsted Wind Power North America, Metrc, CAMBA
Other key employees: Alex Betke, Carolyn Kerr, Michael Cassidy
Company news: Welcomed Dan Sheppard, formerly of Mount Sinai and the New York State Department of Health and Division of Budget
Biggest achievement: Helped NextEra Energy Transmission New York secure approvals for the Empire State Line, which will provide an additional 3,700 megawatts of renewable energy throughout New York state.
2. Kasirer
Key industries: Government relations, community relations, lobbying
Notable clients: New York Blood Center, Charter Communications, SL Green Realty Corp., New-York Historical Society
Other key employees: Julie Greenberg, Jennifer Rivera, Jovia Radix, Lester Marks, Eldad Gothelf, Omar Alvarellos
Company news: Notable new hires include Jennifer Blum, formerly of The Doe Fund; Charlie Samboy, formerly with the New York Building Congress; Tristan Massalay-Ellis, formerly with the New York City comptroller; and Jelanie DeShong, formerly in the Hochul administration.
Biggest achievement: Kasirer represents Vornado Realty Trust, which owns about 20 million square feet of office space in the city, about half of which is near Penn Station. Kasirer was key part of the team who executed the strategy that led to the favorable approval by Empire State Development of the General Project Plan to construct 10 towers in the Penn District, which will fund the state's proposal to renovate and potentially expand Penn Station, as well as the revitalization of the public realm and transit improvements. The new towers on Vornado’s five properties around Penn Station could exceed 10 million square feet and consist of a hotel, offices, stores and up to 1,256 residential units.
3. Bolton-St. Johns
Giorgio DeRosa, Senior Partner
Emily Giske, Senior Partner
Key industries: Technology, renewable energy, telecommunications, nonprofits, education
Notable clients: Verizon, Equinor, Live Nation, Tech:NYC, Google, Caesars, Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe, Waymo
Other key employees: Tom Connolly, Mike Keogh, Juanita Scarlett, Patrick McHugh, Teresa Gonzalez, Samara Daly, Anne Marie Anzalone, John Albert, Violet Moss, Prisca Salazar-Rodriguez, Pat Reilly, Joseph DeRosa, Sara Ritz, Justin Berhaupt, Bill McCarthy Jr., Debra Feinberg, Sarah Bangs, Brette McSweeney, Robin Brown, John McCarthy, Keyla Espinal Antigua, Julie Jursik, Jessica Davos
Company news: We were very saddened by the passing of our friend and Partner Bill McCarthy. We miss him and continue to build on his work on behalf of our clients and New York.
Biggest achievement: BSJ is excited to be working with clients in the renewable energy space, especially in helping move New York state’s climate goals forward and ensuring that New York stays a leader in the fight against climate change. Similarly, our team is proud to have worked with the Freelancers Union to help pass two state bills, one to increase wage theft protections and a second to enhance retirement benefits. As New York’s workforce continues to grow and more people are choosing freelancing, these bills are crucial to ensure that all people are getting paid for the work they do, as well as giving access to a system that will allow them to save and plan for their future retirement.
4. Greenberg Traurig
John Mascialino, Chair of New York City Government Law and Policy Practice
Samir NeJame, Chair of the New York State Government Law & Policy Practice
Key industries: Real estate, health care, energy and environment, technology, election and compliance law, transportation
Notable clients: Morgan Stanley, Life Insurance Council of New York, EDF Renewables, AT&T, Hornblower, NYU Langone, Chipotle
Other key employees: Lynelle Bosworth, Ellen Gustafson, Josh Oppenheimer, India Sneed, Mark Weprin
Company news: Former state Sen. Todd Kaminsky recently joined Greenberg Traurig and advises a broad swath of regulated companies with complex issues involving New York state government with a particular focus on environmental, social and governance issues. Beth Garvey, one of the most experienced attorneys in New York state government, joined the Albany office. Jane McLaughlin, former director of legislative affairs for the state Department of Environmental Conservation, also joined the Albany office this past year. The GT team is also excited to welcome back India Sneed from maternity and medical leave.
Biggest achievement: During a time of significant change, Greenberg Traurig’s city and state practices were able to help guide our clients during new administrations at the city and state level. Additionally, GT worked on behalf of the Joyful Heart Foundation on a pro bono basis to obtain passage of legislation of that would implement a statewide electronic tracking system for sexual assault kits. Once the governor signs the legislation, the implementation of the tracking system will streamline the chain of custody process to the benefit of law enforcement agencies and provide sexual assault survivors with certainty regarding the processing of their kit.
5. Mercury
Charlie King, Partner
Jan Feuerstadt, Partner
Jake Dilemani, Partner
Key industries: Cannabis, real estate, climate and energy, fintech, health care
Notable clients: Charter Communications, New York Residential Agent Continuum, Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of New York, PharmaCann, Somos Community Care
Other key employees: Jonathan Greenspun, Lisa Reid, Nancy Sciocchetti, Patrick Halpin, Patrick McCarthy, Deanne Braveman, Greg Drilling, Greg Lavine, Ted Anastasiou
Company news: We hired Vice Presidents Edu Hermelyn, Therese Daly and Wesley Clayton. Jake Dilemani was promoted from managing director to partner, and Greg Drilling and Deanne Braveman were promoted to senior vice president.
Biggest achievement: In the past year, after New York took the bold and necessary step to legalize cannabis, Mercury established itself as the preeminent firm for this new, burgeoning sector. Our team has been involved in New York state cannabis since the beginning, forming strong relationships within the industry, the Office of Cannabis Management and lawmakers. Additionally, Mercury helped secure the first-ever state funding in this year's budget to support the over 40,000 remaining Holocaust survivors living in New York. This funding is crucial for survivors – many of whom live in poverty. The governor also signed key legislation towards improving Holocaust education, for which Mercury was instrumental.
6. Ostroff Associates
Rick Ostroff, President and CEO
Scott Wexler, Managing Director
Diana Ostroff, Managing Director
Key industries: Economic development, hospitality and gaming, financial services, health care, energy and environment
Notable clients: Anheuser-Busch, Buffalo Bills and Pegula Sports & Entertainment, Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund, NextEra Energy Resources, Siemens
Other key employees: Kate Knight, Andrew Kennedy, Rebecca Marino, Liz Misa, Evan Sullivan, Jessica Morelli
Company news: Jessica Morelli recently joined our health care team, bringing over 20 years of experience in government, health care, hospital and human services policy and finance. We’ve also continued to expand our legislative team to include more analysts, along with adding a communications director.
Biggest achievement: Helping to secure millions of dollars in the budget to provide critical funding for a number of our clients in a variety of industries. We were successful in helping to secure historic investments in the developmental disabilities and behavioral health field. Our firm also assisted in securing $300 million to jump-start New York’s shovel-ready projects as well as a $1.75 million investment in the Manufacturers Intermediary Apprenticeship Program. Additionally, we were successful in advocating for $1 million for the blood cancer research to benefit 9/11 first responders as well as $50,000 for the South End Children’s Cafe to help address food insecurity for children in Albany.
7. Park Strategies
Lisa Marrello, Partner and Managing Director
David Poleto, Partner and Managing Director
Gregory Serio, Partner and Managing Director
Christopher D’Amato, Executive Vice President, Partner and General Counsel
Key industries: Health care, transportation, insurance, hospitality, construction, energy, cannabis
Notable clients: Microsoft, Iroquois Healthcare Association, Expedia, State Farm, TransUnion, Rochester Regional Health Information Organization, Rocket Central, Rite Aid, ExxonMobil, Capital District Transportation Authority
Other key employees: Kevin Bronner, Fred Hiffa, Jay Bove, Nick Barrella, Michael Wilton, Ryan Moses, William McGahay
Company news: In July of 2021, Park Strategies launched the Cannabis Practice Group led by Managing Director Joe Rossi, to support our cannabis clients including the New York Cannabis Growers and Processors Association. Joining Rossi in the Cannabis Practice Group are Tom Wickham, Tom Buchan and Alyssa Snyder. Park Strategies also opened a Syracuse office.
Biggest achievement: In addition to the creation of a dynamic new practice group that services an entirely new alliance of clients, we take pride in our expert representation of clients in highly regulated industries including insurance, health care, energy, construction, transportation and nightlife. Our successful client achievements are realized in our policy advocacy efforts before the Executive Chamber and Legislature during the budget negotiation process and at the culmination of the legislative session, in addition to client representation before state agencies resolving impactful regulatory and administrative issues.
8. Hinman Straub
James Carr, Government Analyst
Caron O’Brien, Government Analyst
Matthew O’Connor, Government Analyst
Key industries: Health care, education, labor, financial services, energy, environment, human services, gaming, transportation
Notable clients: Con Edison, HSBC, Toyota, Zillow
Other key employees: Estibaliz Alonso, Katy Coleman, Heather Evans, Jonathan Graves, Matthew Leonardo, Julie Marlette, David Previte, Wendy Saunders, Janet Silver, Brittany Vogel
Company news: Hinman Straub continues to grow across disciplines and practice areas as well as through the addition of new and talented professionals. Some of our recent client additions have been in emerging issues and technologies that interface with state government.
Biggest achievement: As one of Albany’s oldest law firms and government relations practices, the most important measure of our success continues to be the faith and trust that our clients have in Hinman Straub. Our firm has always focused on taking a comprehensive and collaborative approach in meeting our clients’ goals. We were successful this year in achieving numerous legislative victories and were instrumental in securing much-needed state support for many of our not-for-profit clients. As the state and nation transition into the post-pandemic world and the associated challenges that come with it, our entire firm will be focused on providing exceptional legal and government relations services.
9. Constantinople & Vallone Consulting
Anthony Constantinople, Partner
Perry Vallone, Partner
Key industries: Energy and environment, education and nonprofits, telecommunications, affordable housing, transportation
Notable clients: Waste Management, T-Mobile, TD Bank, Walgreens, Electrify America, YAI
Other key employees: Peter Vallone Sr., Tony Constantinople, Jake Potent, Jordan Press, Steve Williams, Lauren George, Yanni Trittas, Carol Swift, Andrea Reres, Isabel Lane, Joe Newman, Alina Agusti
10. Capalino
James Capalino, CEO
Travis Terry, President
Mark Thompson, Executive Vice President and Group Leader
Jeanne Mullgrav, Managing Director
Ashley Thompson, Principal
Karina Jimenez, Principal
Key industries: Real estate, nonprofits, technology, entertainment, hospitality and tourism, clean energy and sustainability, health care and life sciences
Notable clients: UPS, FWD.us, Somos Community Care
Company news: Capalino helped pass the NY Health and Essential Rights Act (NY HERO Act) and the Low-Embodied Carbon Concrete Leadership Act. Capalino welcomed three new members: principals Matt Green and Karina Jimenez and Lucy Christensen in the compliance department. Principal Adam Buchanan also joined Capalino to provide expertise in business strategy and procurement/RFPs.
Biggest achievement: FWD.us has credited Capalino with helping increase the resources for the Liberty Defense Project and helping to enact the Language Access law, which requires translation of documents in the 12 most common languages and interpretation for limited English proficient New Yorkers.
11. MirRam Group
Catherine Torres, Partner
Eduardo Castell, Partner
John Emrick, Partner
Matthew Smalls, Senior Vice President
Onida Coward Mayers, Senior Vice President
Dana Carotenuto, Senior Vice President
Key industries: Health care, nonprofit, labor, energy, cannabis
Notable clients: Transport Workers Union Local 100, Greater New York Hospital Association, Hispanic Federation, Cresco Labs
Company news: New hires include Reggie Johnson, senior vice president of communications, and Vice Presidents Ana Chireno and Stephanie Arroyo. Onida Coward Mayers was promoted to senior vice president.
Biggest achievement: The company achieved continued funding increases and policy changes for its health care clients to address ongoing COVID-19 and related health challenges. The company has become a leader in the state’s renewable energy industry and emerging adult-use cannabis industry. The company also expanded its championing of BIPOC communities and the nonprofit organizations that serve our neighborhoods.
12. Pitta Bishop & Del Giorno
Vincent F. Pitta, Chair and Managing Member
Vito R. Pitta, Co-Managing Member
Robert J. Bishop, Founding Member
Jon R. Del Giorno, Founding Member
Key industries: Civil service and trade unions, nonprofit community-based organizations, criminal justice, health care, construction and development
Notable clients: Transport Workers Union Local 100, Public Health Solutions, Simon Wiesenthal Center, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 9, Consortium for Worker Education
Other key employees: Theresa Cosgrove, Estevan Medel, Bradford Sussman-Gonzalez, Ardian Tagani, Andre Mozeak, Tanjila Rahman, Steven Pierre Ileka
13. Davidoff Hutcher & Citron
Steve Malito, Partner and Chair, New York State Government Relations Group
Esteban Maccera, Associate Director, State Government Relations
Nicole L. Weingartner, Director, State Government Affairs
Bianca Rajpersaud, Associate Director, Government Relations
Nicholas Antenucci, Senior Counsel
Key industries: Construction, education, entertainment, health care, nonprofits, municipalities
Notable clients: Warner Bros. Discovery, Metropolitan Package Store Association, Helen Keller Services, Henry Viscardi School, International Union of Journeymen and Allied Trades
Company news: Within the last year, DHC’s state government relations team welcomed new clients such as BusPatrol America LLC, the village of Mineola and the Information Technology Industry Council. In addition, we have expanded our practice to include lobbying local municipalities on Long Island and across New York state.
Biggest achievement: After nine hard years of constant vigilance and effort, we were thrilled to see that Gov. Kathy Hochul finally included vital funding for one of our most beloved not-for-profit clients in her annual budget proposal. Previously, DHC had been working with the Assembly and Senate to add this “make or break” funding into the final budget product. While we were so proud of all of the great champions that helped us in the Legislature, it was extremely important and gratifying that this funding be recognized as an annual proposal from the executive.
14. Dickinson & Avella
Christina Dickinson, Partner
Michael Avella, Partner
Key industries: Technology, health care, cannabis, gaming, sports and entertainment, finance
Notable clients: Hotel and Gaming Trades Council, Verizon, Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, New York Yankees, New York Mets
Other key employees: Eglantina Haxhillari, Mike Avella Jr.
Company news: Katie Neer joined our firm to lead a cannabis practice as New York state moves forward with medical expansion and adult-use implementation.
Biggest achievement: In the past year, we focused efforts on commercial casino expansion, education funding and economic development initiatives. We assisted clients in navigating the continued economic impacts of COVID-19. We also worked with a variety of clients in successfully implementing mobile sports wagering.
15. Albany Strategic Advisors
Key industries: Telecommunications, technology, travel and entertainment, banking, finance and insurance, criminal and social justice
Notable clients: Delta Air Lines, Block, FWD.us, Verizon, JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Other key employees: Allison Lee, Mike O’Leary, Dan Cain, Jill Scalzo, Dan Vardaro, Justin Birzon, Michela Paniccia, Andrew Marocco
Company news: We were thrilled to welcome back one of ASA’s founding touchstones, Andrew Marocco, at the beginning of the year. We were also proud to announce Jill Scalzo was promoted to vice president and Dan Vardaro as ASA’s chief of staff earlier in the year.
Biggest achievement: This year we worked with our client, the Association of Public Broadcasting Stations of New York, to successfully advocate for $7.8 million in additional funding. The funding was awarded to run a public awareness campaign about mental health, senior social isolation and to address student learning loss during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was a multiyear effort which involved advocacy across multiple state agencies, the Division of Budget and state lawmakers, combined with constant education, third-party validators and APBS’ history of delivering high-quality content.
16. Fried Frank
Zachary Bernstein, Real Estate Partner
Tal J. Golomb, Real Estate Partner
David Karnovsky, Real Estate Partner
Melanie Meyers, Real Estate Partner
Wesley O’Brien, Real Estate Partner
Carol E. Rosenthal, Real Estate Partner
Key industry: Real estate
Notable clients: Vornado Realty Trust, South Street Seaport, RXR Realty, Macy’s Retail Holdings Inc., NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
17. The Parkside Group
Jake Herring, Managing Director and Deputy General Counsel
Saima Anjam, Senior Vice President
Katelyn O’Leary, Vice President
Key industries: Technology, sports and gaming, energy and telecommunications, nonprofit, labor
Notable clients: AT&T, Brooklyn Nets, CAMBA, Microsoft, 32BJ SEIU
Other key employees: Lauren Bush, Katy Dunn, Dan Katz, Ben Kern, Paul Thomas
Company news: Lauren Bush, Katelyn O’Leary, Sezlyn Petersen and Juan Osorio all joined our government relations team. Ben Kern and Saima Anjam were promoted to senior vice president on our government relations team. And several new clients came on board, including Catapult Learning, ChargePoint, D2L, DirecTV, First American Title, SAS and Scientific Games.
Biggest achievement: This year’s legislative session was hugely successful for many of our clients, but our biggest success was clearly the passage of the Grieving Families Act. This bill reforms New York’s 175-year old Wrongful Death law, which limits damages when someone dies solely to economic losses and not the grief of survivors. Current law devalues the lives of people who are likely to be underpaid due to other inequities in society by valuing lives solely based on how much money a victim earns. Through direct lobbying, earned media and advertising, we led the effort to pass legislation to correct this inequity.
18. Cozen O’Connor and Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies
Katie Schwab, Co-Chair
Rose Christ, Co-Chair
Key industries: Banking and financial services, insurance, cannabis, nonprofits and associations, gaming
Notable clients: Apollo Theater, Canopy Growth, Coca-Cola, Chubb, Central Park Conservancy
Other key employees: Stuart Shorenstein, Ken Fisher, Nathan Toth, James Ansorge, Kaitesi Munroe, Zakariah Malik, Vivien Krieger, Rachel Scall, Sunny Bhatt
Company news: Katie Schwab and Rose Christ were elevated to co-chairs of the New York Public Strategies team, succeeding Stuart Shorenstein, who remains actively engaged in the practice. The lobbying team expanded with the addition of Kaitesi Munroe, who had formerly held senior positions in the state Legislature and with Madison Square Garden, and Nathan Toth, who had served for 11 years as the deputy director of the New York City Council’s Finance Division.
Biggest achievement: Our team seized opportunities presented by the rapidly changing political environment in New York in 2021 to benefit our diverse client base. Thanks to decadeslong relationships with leaders in the new administration in Albany, the state Legislature and broader civic community, we were well positioned to help our clients succeed in 2021. A few notable successes include: playing a key role in the approval of mobile sports betting; obtaining an amendment to the Hudson River Park Act to allow for permanent public artwork on Gansevoort Peninsula; and securing significant state funds for clients’ capital projects and workforce development programs.
19. Cordo & Company
Nora Boyle, Partner and Vice President
Adam Richardson, Partner and Senior Vice President
Key industries: Health care, labor unions, gaming and casinos, beer wholesalers
Notable clients: 1199SEIU, CVS Health, Somos Community Care, New York State Beer Wholesalers Association, Genting New York
Other key employees: John Cordo, Steve Harris, Amy Agars
Company news: Amy Agars, Nora Boyle and Adam Richardson became partners and now hold the title of vice president of operations, vice president, and senior vice president, respectively.
Biggest achievement: Cordo & Co. headed efforts to include in the budget language which authorizes the state to award the remaining three casino licenses in the downstate region.
We also led the expansion of new health care sustainability funds for distressed health care institutions, including hospitals and primary care facilities.
20. Manatt
James Walsh, Partner
Meghan McNamara, Partner, Manatt Health
Julia Donnaruma, Senior Adviser
Key industries: Health care, higher education, procurement, energy, environment
Notable clients: New York State Coalition of Anchor Safety Net Hospitals, New York University, Oracle, Coalition of New York State Public Health Plans, Solar Energy Industries Association
Other key employees: Tracy Fay Raleigh, Michael Paulsen, Gregory Pratt, Laura Manley Ladopoulos
Company news: With the addition of Tracy Raleigh, who previously served as the director of the Center for Planning, Licensure, and Finance for the New York State Department of Health, Manatt is focused on fully utilizing its experienced team to help providers navigate a perfect storm of challenges, including financial distress and workforce challenges. In addition, in the wake of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization Supreme Court decision, Manatt is proud to continue supporting Planned Parenthood Empire State Acts as well as a new engagement to provide legal support and consulting to all five Planned Parenthood New York affiliates as they respond to the impact of the Dobbs decision and seek to ensure access to care in New York.
Biggest achievement: We worked closely with New York state government to help develop strong partnerships with our clients that will advance critical policy goals that improve peoples’ lives – enhancing the delivery of health care, advancing renewable energy, building more affordable housing and improving our higher education systems. This was accomplished through securing millions of dollars in state funding, passing critical legislation and crafting policies that help make New York state a national leader, and we are proud to have contributed toward that effort.
21. Patrick B. Jenkins & Associates
Jennifer Richardson, Senior Vice President
Cory Loomis, Legislative Director
Key industries: Gaming, education, telecommunications and technology, real estate and development, health care
Notable clients: New York State Trial Lawyers Association, Genting New York, Charter Communications, Uber, Bank Street College of Education
Other key employees: Patrick B. Jenkins, Dwayne M. Andrews
22. TBA
Tonio Burgos, CEO
Kristen Walsh, President, TBA New York
Elvin García, Director of New York City Affairs
Key industries: Energy, transportation, health care, financial services and education
Notable clients: Amtrak, American Airlines, Greater New York Hospital Association, AECOM
23. CMW Strategies
Michael Woloz, President and CEO
Key industries: Transportation, technology, education, hospitality, culturals
Notable clients: Hotel Association of New York City, Closed Loop Partners, Verizon, Cisco Systems, New York State Latino Restaurant, Bar & Lounge Association
Other key employees: Danna DeBlasio, Anthony “Skip” Piscitelli, Regina Poreda Ryan
Company news: CMW Strategies is expanding, both its physical office space at the Woolworth Building, and taking on several new staff this year, including budget expert Regina Poreda Ryan, who ran the expense budget at the New York City Council for 25 years.
24. The Roffe Group of Robinson+Cole
Andrew S. Roffe, President
Christine C. Rutigliano, Managing Director
Key industries: Health care, energy, technology, insurance, cannabis
Notable clients: Stroock, Constellation Energy Generation, Xerox, NewYork-Presbyterian, Apple
Other key employees: Patrick Zlogar, Alexandra Moore and Caley Taratus
25. Statewide Public Affairs
Christopher Duryea, Managing Partner
Key industries: Energy and environment, health care, cannabis, financial services, technology
Notable clients: Comcast, Volkswagen, New York State Restaurant Association, The Home Depot, Cresco Labs
Other key employees: Wayne Lair Jr., Kevin Banes, Brian Quiara, Jim Quent
Company news: Statewide took on some exciting new accounts in the last year including The Home Depot, Gemini Trust, TikTok, American Rock Salt Corp. and the Northeast Spa & Pool Association.
Biggest achievement: Statewide is proud to have played a key role as the New York State Restaurant Association’s lobbying and advocacy lead in securing NYSRA’s huge win with the return of alcohol-to-go. We are proud to have led advocacy and lobbying efforts on behalf of our new client American Rock Salt, seeing through passage of the Buy American Salt Act in both houses. Additionally, Statewide led advocacy and lobbying efforts on newly introduced Lockable Spa Safety Cover legislation. This new legislation, strongly supported by our newly retained client Northeast Spa & Pool Association, passed both houses and currently awaits gubernatorial action.
26. The Wright Group NY
John Wright, Founder and Principal
Vincent Rossetti, Director of State Government Relations
Key industries: Nonprofit and human services sector, affordable housing, arts and culture, legal services, mental health, immigration rights and juvenile justice
Notable clients: Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development, African Communities Together, Classical Theatre of Harlem, Getting Out and Staying Out, The Trevor Project
Other key employees: Kristin Ruggles, Racquel Saddler
Biggest achievement: Seeing our clients and the communities they serve work together to overcome the challenges of the pandemic – which were much more intense for low-income and marginalized New Yorkers – is nothing short of remarkable. On more solid ground this year, we were able to refocus our attention on policies and funding that help correct years of disinvestment in communities across our state. We are proud to have done our part to secure enhanced resources for LGBTQ+ health and human service providers, a historic investment for foreclosure prevention and counseling services and passage of first-in-the-nation protections in the immigration bond industry.
27. Geto & de Milly
Ethan Geto, Principal
Michele de Milly, Principal
Key industries: Real estate/land use, professional sports, affordable housing, education, culture and the arts, LGBTQ+ advocacy, criminal justice reform and social services nonprofits
Notable clients: PepsiCo, New Alternatives for Children
Other key employees: Daniel White, Maya Kremen, Mark Benoit, Laura Dolan, Christopher Johnson
Biggest achievement: Our successes include approval of the exciting mixed-use plan for Manhattan's South Street Seaport and the transformative rezoning of Gowanus, Brooklyn, ongoing firm projects that ensure New Yorkers benefit from new affordable housing, job creation and sustainable development.
28. McBride Consulting and Business Development Group
Robert McBride, President and CEO
Luis Montes, Senior Partner, State & Local Government Practice Lead
Key industries: Renewable energy and transmission solutions, attainable and supportive housing, waste management, utilities and water, gaming and wagering
Notable clients: Eversource Energy, Disability Opportunity Fund, Winters Bros. Waste Systems
Biggest achievement: Two significant achievements our team recently had was the advancement and adoption of bills for Suffolk County OTB and Sunrise Wind on behalf of our client Eversource. We worked with a bipartisan coalition to pass state legislation authorizing Suffolk OTB to build on the success of Jake's 58 Hotel and Casino by doubling to 2,000 video gaming machines which will create hundreds of good-paying union jobs and increase Suffolk OTB's contribution to New York state and Suffolk County by more than $50 million annually. We also moved critical agreements from the town level to state legislation to advance Sunrise Wind, which will power approximately 600,000 homes with clean energy and unlock tens of millions for workforce development and host community benefits.
29. Shenker Russo & Clark LLP
Theresa Russo, CEO and Co-Managing Partner
Douglas Clark, Co-Managing Partner
Key industries: Alcohol and cannabis licensing, automobile dealers industry, banking and financial services, clean fuels and energy/telecommunications, health care, labor
Notable clients: Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association, New York State Pipe Trades Association, Clean Fuels Alliance America, New York Bankers Association, CTIA
Other key employees: Ed Draves, Jill Sandhaas, Michael Trunzo, M. Tracey Brooks, Donna Clyne, Ryan Horstmyer, Philip Bolen, Maston Sansom, Michael Relyea, Richard Lauricella
Company news: Ed Draves and Phil Bolen joined the firm in 2022. We also added cannabis licensing to our already established alcohol beverage licensing practice.
Biggest achievement: We worked with our client the National Association of Theatre Owners to argue through a declaratory ruling that movie theaters in New York state that are not restaurants can apply for beer and wine licenses allowing guests to take their beer or wine beverage into the auditoriums. This ruling was approved by the New York State Liquor Authority at a board meeting. This was exciting news for theater owners who were devastated by the pandemic and something NATO and SRC had fought for in New York state for many years.
30. O’Donnell & Associates
Jack O’Donnell, Founder and Managing Partner
Key industries: Health care and human services, renewable energy, labor, higher education, fintech
Notable clients: North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters, The Buffalo Zoo, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Earnin
Other key employee: Michael Cinquanti
Biggest achievement: OD&A secured important and in some cases long-awaited wins for clients, including renewable energy jobs standards, construction industry wage theft legislation, public contractor registration, a prevailing wage standard in the Bond Act, flagship status for SUNY Buffalo, a delay of the Medicaid drug benefit carve-out that means millions of dollars in critical revenue for our safety-net clients, and millions in funding for the Albright Knox Gundlach Museum, the Strong Museum of Play, the Buffalo Zoo and a new UB School of Engineering.
31. Malkin & Ross
Jessica Schafroth, Vice President of Government Affairs
Christine Tramontano, Vice President of Government Affairs
Key industries: Mental and physical health care, criminal justice reform, addressing sexual and gender-based violence and harassment, environmental justice, worker justice
Notable clients: Alliance for Clean Energy New York, Coalition for the Homeless, Drug Policy Alliance, Make the Road New York, New York State Nurses Association, Safe Horizon, National Employment Law Project
Other key employees: Arthur Malkin, Jaron Benjamin, Amanda Cavanaugh, Carol Ann Lemon, Cylas Martell-Crawford, Stacie Orell
Company news: Sadly, Founding Partner Donald K. Ross passed away earlier this year. He will be sorely missed. We are happy to announce that we hired Amanda Cavanaugh as a new lobbyist and Jaron Benjamin as a senior campaign and organizing manager. Additionally, we are establishing an Organizers Training Academy.
Biggest achievement: Passing the Adult Survivors Act, a first in the nation moratorium on cryptocurrency mining, establishing a Primary Care Reform Commission, securing enhanced funding for refugees, establishing an Extended Producer Responsibility program from the recycling of carpets and passing initiatives to fund child care and combat child poverty.
32. Featherstonhaugh, Wiley & Clyne LLP
Elizabeth K. Clyne, Managing Partner
David F. Fleming Jr., Chief Operating Officer
Key industries: Construction/engineering, finance/health, death care, gaming, racing and wagering, technology
Notable clients: CVS Health, The General Contractors Association of New York, Goldman Sachs Group, New York State Association of Cemeteries, Robin Hood Foundation
Other key employees: James D. Featherstonhaugh, Jonathan S. McCardle, Ryan J. Banagan, Brendan J. Boyle, Justin A. Hogan, Stephen D. Morgan
33. Yoswein New York
Joni Yoswein, Founder and CEO
Jamie Van Bramer, President
Key industries: Real estate development, technology, educational and cultural nonprofits, trade organizations, health care
Notable clients: Wegmans Food Markets, Amazon, New York City Hospitality Alliance, JetBlue Airways, Brooklyn Public Library
Other key employees: Jeffrey Denman, Justin Pascone
Biggest achievement: YNY worked tirelessly in 2021 to help clients recover and thrive in the fairest and most equitable manner possible. We achieved unprecedented legislative victories – from to-go cocktails to outdoor dining – for the city’s restaurant industry (NYC Hospitality Alliance); ensured that small businesses had access to economic development and recovery funds (Brooklyn Chamber); created innovative public school support programs for students (NYC Outward Bound); protected critical healthcare institutions (SUNY Downstate); and even helped secure ULURP (Uniform Land Use Review Procedure) approvals for one of the most innovative, ambitious waterfront developments in New York City’s history (Two Trees’ River Ring).
34. Masiello, Martucci & Associates
Victor A. Martucci, Managing Partner
Anthony M. Masiello, President and Partner
Key industries: Health care, higher education, transportation, nonprofits, municipal government
Notable clients: Kaleida Health, Erie County Medical Center, Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, D’Youville University, Rosina Food Products
Other key employees: Connie Martucci, Allie Castilloux
35. Tress Capitol Advisors
Kristen Murphy, Senior Lobbyist
Dan Leinung, Counsel
Key industries: Health care, nonprofits, finance, criminal justice, cultural
Notable clients: PhRMA, New York State Camp Directors Association, National Institute for Reproductive Health Action Fund, Legal Action Center, Judge Rotenberg Educational Center
Other key employee: Michelle Walsh
Biggest achievement: The passage of concurrent resolutions adding the Equality Amendment to the New York State Constitution was a longtime priority for several clients. After a multiyear effort, TCA was successful in enacting a new law allowing children’s summer camps to hire mental health professionals. The Consumer-Directed Personal Assistance Program fiscal intermediary expansion enacted in the budget was a big budget win for us. We were also successful in ensuring that severely disabled individuals placed out of state can remain in their highly successful educational and treatment programs. TCA was instrumental in the passage of a long-standing bill to allow pharmacists to inject medicines for individuals with SUD and SMI.
36. Whiteman Osterman & Hanna
Richard Leckerling, Coordinating Partner, Governmental Relations Practice Group
Key industries: Health care, education, insurance, finance
Notable clients: American Express, Hertz, Life Insurance Council of New York, Columbia University’s Teachers College
37. State & Broadway
Jacqueline S.L. Williams, Founding Partner
Lawrence E. Scherer, Founding Partner
Key industries: Finance, film and television, labor, cannabis
Notable clients: Writers Guild of America East, National Domestic Workers Alliance, Broadway Stages, New York Chiropractic Council
Other key employee: Richard D. Winsten
38. Empire Strategic Planning
Nick Spano, Founder and Owner
Maureen Kronau, Senior Lobbyist
John Spano, Senior Lobbyist
Key industries: Health care, real estate, labor
Notable clients: Greater New York Hospital Association, Cappelli Organization, Standard Amusements LLC, Westchester County Police Benevolent Association
39. Patricia Lynch Associates Inc.
Patricia Lynch, Founder
Key industries: Entertainment, real estate, renewable energy, cryptocurrency and transportation
Notable clients: Thor Properties LLC, The Walt Disney Co., Chia Network, Avis
Company news: Patricia Lynch Associates is headed up by Albany veteran Patricia Lynch. Lynch retains a portfolio of top-tier corporate clients with business before the state and city.
40. Plummer & Wigger
Scott Wigger, Partner
Dan Plummer, Partner
Key industries: Manufacturing, media, transportation, energy
Notable clients: General Electric, NBCUniversal, Railroads of New York, Millennium Pipeline, Delaware Engineering, New York State Funeral Directors Association, New York Transco, Casella Waste Systems, SABIC Innovative Plastics, National Electrical Manufacturers Association, Genworth Financial, JERA Americas, Arch Mortgage Insurance Co.
Other key employee: Marge Marto
Company news: Looking forward into 2023, our main focus will be on continuing to assist our clients in working with the governor’s office and state Legislature to help grow New York’s business community and overall economy.
41. Reid, McNally, & Savage
Robert Reid, Partner
Shauneen McNally, Partner
Marcy Savage, Partner
Key industries: Health care providers, public health, public transit, finance, human services
Notable clients: Community Pharmacy Association of New York State, New York State Association of Health Care Providers, New York State Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare, New York Public Transit Association
42. Envision Strategy
Tim Bishop, Principal
Jim Thompson, Principal
Alyssa Lovelace, Principal
Key industries: Health care, government procurement, transportation
Notable clients: Cigna, Chamber of Digital Commerce, Ellis Hospital
43. Barrett Associates
Peter V. Carr Jr., Managing Partner
Key industries: Technology, financial services, health, education, nonprofits
Notable clients: Procter & Gamble, eBay, PayPal, StubHub
44. Hill, Gosdeck, McGraw & Nemeth
Denise Murphy McGraw, Principal
Jeffrey Hill, Principal
Frank Nemeth, Principal
Key industries: Health, technology, construction, financial services, the arts
Notable clients: American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, AT&T, Builders Exchange of Rochester, International Business Machines, March of Dimes
Other key employee: Karen LaJuene
Biggest achievement: We successfully advocated for the passage of two pieces of legislation to improve access to behavioral health and addiction treatment care, as well as legislation to provide equitable relief to contractors for unanticipated construction material price escalations and numerous defensive victories.
45. Harter Secrest & Emery LLP
Amy J. Kellogg, Partner and Practice Group Leader
John M. Jennings, Partner
Key industries: Life sciences, transportation, health care, telecommunications, trade associations
Notable clients: Amalgamated Transit Union New York State Legislative Conference Board, American Nurses Association - New York, GSK, New York Biotechnology Association, New York State Telecommunications Association
Other key employee: Caitlin A. Anderson
Company news: We were pleased to expand our team this year with the addition of our new associate, Caitlin “Caiti" Anderson. Caiti comes to us with over three years of government affairs and lobbying experience. She has worked extensively in heavily regulated industries such as the alcoholic beverage industry and brought with her several new clients including the New York State Brewers Association. In addition, Caiti brings regulatory experience to our group, including regulation review and defending clients in administrative hearings.
Biggest achievement: Our biggest achievement in the past year has been helping our clients accomplish their legislative priorities in a challenging environment where the continued impact of the pandemic had a significant effect on government in Albany. Notably, we successfully advocated for the passage of numerous pieces of legislation in diverse industries, including the transportation sector, the alcoholic beverage sector, the life sciences sector and for health care professionals. It is often easier to defeat a bill than to pass one, so we are very proud of the affirmative successes we helped our clients to achieve.
46. TLM Associates LLC
Thomas McMahon, President and Founder
James McMahon, Partner
Key industries: Affordable housing, financial services, solid waste
Notable clients: Bank of America, Community Preservation Corp., Enterprise Community Partners
Biggest achievement: Working closely with clients and government partners to manage and navigate through the challenges and chaos caused by the global pandemic. With much of our work focused on affordable housing, we worked closely with state and city government partners and the advocacy community to adopt legislation and programs that protect tenants and allow development to move forward in 2021.
47. Kramer Levin
Paul D. Selver, Partner and Co-Chair
Gary R. Tarnoff, Partner and Co-Chair
Elise Wagner, Partner
Valerie G. Campbell, Partner
James P. Power, Partner
Key industry: Real estate
Notable clients: The Shubert Organization, New York Blood Center, Vornado Realty Trust
48. Fontas Advisors
George Fontas, Founder and CEO
Key industries: Real estate, nonprofits, tech, education
Notable clients: Intel, The Floating Hospital, LeFrak
Other key employees: Tom Gray, Scott Crowley, John Sabini
49. Gotham Government Relations & Communication
Brad Gerstman, Founding Partner
David Schwartz, Founding Partner
Key industries: Education, commercial real estate, construction, international affairs, business associations
Notable clients: AARP, Red Apple Group, New York School Bus Contractors Association
Other key employee: Nicole Epstein
Company news: Nicole Epstein became vice president of Gotham, and Gotham has entered the cannabis market by providing consulting, legal and security services. In addition, Gotham created the first New York State Blockchain and Crypto Association, as well as new services to the venture capital world.
Biggest achievement: Secured the largest growth in special education funding from the governor and the Legislature in the New York state budget.
50. RG Group
Alan Rosenberg, Partner
Catherine Giuliani, Partner
Key industries: Technology, consulting services, energy, real estate and construction
Notable clients: KPMG, Oracle, Red Hat, Transit Wireless, Armis
Other key employee: Gregory Mitchell
Biggest achievement: RG Group prides itself on being the "go-to firm" for technology companies doing business in New York. In the past year, RG Group has successfully guided its clients through the mayoral administration change. Our team advised our clients on the new mayoral and agency leadership, identified new priorities and helped position them as partners to the Adams administration.
51. Hodes & Landy
Ginger Lynch Landy, Principal and Owner
Michele O’Connor, Director of Licensing and Senior Legislative Associate
Carrie Harring, Senior Legislative Associate
Key industries: Health care and Medicaid, long-term care and assisted living regulation and licensure, payroll and HR IT, higher education
Notable clients: Argentum, Healthcare Distribution Alliance, Indivior, Paycom, Velocity BioGroup
Other key employees: Olivia Marfleet, Lorie Massad
Company news: In 2021, Hodes & Landy welcomed Olivia Marfleet as legislative analyst and director of membership. This year, Hodes & Landy is proud to celebrate its 30th anniversary. The firm was founded by Nancy Hodes in 1992, with Ginger Lynch Landy joining in 2000 and later becoming a partner and taking over as principal and owner in 2017.
Biggest achievement: Hodes & Landy achieved numerous legislative and regulatory goals over the past year, despite the challenges presented by the ongoing public health emergency. Our experienced team successfully executed comprehensive, effective strategies to advance our clients priorities, including those involving substance use disorder, assisted living, health care, payroll and benefit administration, and pharmaceutical distribution. Additionally, H&L expanded its assisted living licensure portfolio and achieved several additional project approvals. We are most proud to be recognized by top-tier clients as the "Gold Standard" of government relations services.
52. Capital Health Consulting
Lisa Wickens-Alteri, President and CEO
Caroline Morelli, Vice President
Key industry: Health care
Notable clients: Davita, New York State Society of Dermatology & Dermatological Surgery, Shinnecock Indian Nation
Other key employees: Keith W. Servis, Steve Simmons, Jamie Papapetros, Maura Fiore, Cheryl Rings, Valerie Harris
Company news: We recently expanded our client base to include more health care professional associations and societies, offering grassroots advocacy at the state and federal level. In addition to advocacy and government affairs, CHC provides strategic solutions for complex health care related policy and business issues. To support our growing client base, CHC recently brought on new clinicians, policymakers and individuals, and associates in health and human services to round out our team. In 2021, Keith Servis joined CHC as a senior adviser and brings over 36 years of government leadership and policy experience. In his most recent position, Keith served as deputy commissioner of the state Department of Health’s Office of Primary Care and Health Systems Management.
Biggest achievement: In partnership with Elizabeth Seton, CHC has dedicated its mission to improving the lives of medically fragile children and their continued care into young adulthood. In 2021, CHC successfully championed the enactment of landmark legislation in the state budget to provide for the establishment of a medically fragile young adult demonstration program. The law authorizes the establishment of two eligible pediatric nursing homes for medical fragile young adults between the ages of 18 and 35. This sets a national precedent for medically fragile children and adults that are living beyond their expected years because of new treatments and technologies.
53. Tusk Strategies
Shontell Smith, Executive Vice President
Eric Soufer, Partner, Head of Crypto + Fintech
Key industries: Cryptocurrency, education, technology, transportation
Notable clients: Education Equity Campaign, Latchable, Angi, Bird
Biggest achievement: Notable achievements are that we have the largest crypto practice in New York, representing nearly a dozen companies in the space. We ran the successful campaign to win Apex Crypto their BitLicense in April, which is one of only a few awarded in the past year and made them the largest company to get a BL at the time of licensure. We also represent the Crypto Council for Innovation, which is backed by industry mainstays Coinbase, Gemini and Fidelity. We also represent Israel-based eToro and New York City-based companies Paxos, Genesis and Webull, as well as MoonPay, among others.
54. Bogdan and Lasky LLC
Edward A. Bogdan III, Managing Partner
James A. Lasky, Government Affairs Director
Key industries: Retail, finance, health care, transportation
Notable clients: Anheuser-Busch, AstraZeneca, The Toy Association, Wine Institute
55. Capitol Strategies Group
Christopher J. Cotrona, Partner and Owner
Robert G. Burdick, Partner and Owner
Key industry: Technology
Notable clients: Deloitte, Verizon
56. b2gny Group
Gino Menchini, Principal and Co-Founder
Key industries: Tech, IT
Notable clients: Crown Castle, Global Technology Solutions
57. The Carey Group LLC
Michael G. Carey, Founder and President
Key industry: Real estate
Notable clients: Triangle Equities, Rabsky Group
58. Elk Street Group
Diane Frazier, Partner
Key industries: Health care, trade associations
Notable clients: New York State Association of Nurse Anesthetists, U.S. Hemp Roundtable
59. Bender Cantone Consulting
Bruce Bender, Principal and Co-Founder
Scott Cantone, Principal and Co-Founder
Key industries: Culturals, real estate, nonprofits, labor
Notable clients: Brooklyn Museum, Independent Drivers Guild, The Woodlawn Cemetery
60. Riddett Associates
Kenneth Riddett, President
Key industries: Sports, gaming
Notable clients: Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, PGA Tour, FanDuel, DraftKings, New York State Trial Lawyers Association
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