Tuesday, November 09, 1999
Lobbyists fear term-limit exodus
Some forming partnerships for influence
BY MICHAEL HAWTHORNE
Enquirer Columbus Bureau
COLUMBUS — Lobbyist Paul Tipps boasted he once could get a bill through the 132-member General Assembly by persuading 15 to 20 key lawmakers to support it.
Those days are evaporating about as fast as the exodus of veteran lawmakers who face term limits next year.
Mindful of the potential loss of influence as their friends leave town, Mr. Tipps and his partner, Neil Clark, announced Monday they are affiliating with other lobbyists from across the state to help “educate” the deluge of new lawmakers.
Critics say their new company, State Street Consultants, is an example of the increasingly blurred line between special interests and elected officials. The two men already play a major role in advising candidates, drafting legislation and shepherding bills through the legislative process.
“Half the people coming to the General Assembly will not have had contact with a consultant in this town,” Mr. Clark said. “Doing this is a way to develop relationships, so they know us, they know what we stand for, they can call us and trust us.”
With term limits forcing lawmakers to run for another office or find different work, Mr. Tipps estimated it will take “at least 100” lawmakers to move legislation and regulations sought by clients such as Bank One, AT&T, AK Steel Corp. and the Cincinnati Public Schools.
Lobby, Inc.
One of the lobbyists joining the new firm is Gordon Scherer, a former Cincinnati lawmaker whose clients include the Bengals, Kings Island, Hamilton County and the Ohio Cable Telecommunications Association.
Under their business arrangement with Mr. Tipps and Mr. Clark, Mr. Scherer and three other lobbyists will keep their current roster of clients. Any new clients will be represented by the entire firm.
Others joining State Street Consultants include former House Minor ity Leader Patrick Sweeney, D-Cleveland; Jerry Hammond, former president of the Columbus City Council; and Doug McMarlin, a former official for the Student Loan Funding Corp.
“I don't know how single, independent people in my business are going to do it after term limits,” Mr. Scherer said. “It takes four to five years to develop a relationship with these folks (legislators). By that time, they're going to be on their way out.”
Voters limited lawmakers to serving eight years in either the House or Senate. Many veteran lawmakers already have left, including former Rep. E.J. Thomas of Columbus, who now heads a separate lobbying, advertising and public relations firm owned in part by Mr. Clark and Mr. Tipps.
Groundswell, the firm run by Mr. Thomas, former chairman of the House Finance Committee, is a joint venture with the Cincinnati-based advertising firm Northlich Stolley LaWarre.
By forming Groundswell and State Street Consultants, Mr. Clark and Mr. Tipps are seeking expertise to compete with HMS Success, a rival company that also offers public relations, lobbying, advertising and political consulting under one roof.
While the consulting group will focus on lobbying, Groundswell is expected to vie for work on statewide initiative campaigns sought by groups seeking to overturn laws or enact ideas rejected by the General Assembly, Mr. Tipps said.
Influence peddling?
“If we are going to stay on the cutting edge, we are going to have to do things differently,” he said.
Critics say the consolidation of well-financed special interests under a smaller number of lobbying organizations is bad for citizens who can be outspent and outnumbered as key decisions are made.
“This is influence peddling at its worst,” said Shari Weir of Ohio Citizen Action, a government watchdog group. “It will take the pay-to-play mentality that runs our Statehouse to an even higher level and further undermine any opportunity for the public to have a voice in what happens.”
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