Political Balance Goal of Most Communications Lobbying

In contrast to some other industries like energy, most of the major communications companies have kept at least some of their Democrats. Sources also expect a move to hire more

- a trend some sources say started during the summer, when a Democratic win in the House began to look likely. Democrats with telecom experience are suddenly in demand, both as advisers and potential hires in lobbying firms, we're told.

“You can look at individuals and say he or she is a Republican or he or she is a Democrat, but everybody has tried to have a good mix,” said one telecom source. “You have to work with Joe Barton [R-Tex.] or Ed Markey [D-Mass.].” A 2nd source added: “Everybody will continue to hire people from both parties.”

“Lobbying shops that are heavily weighted toward Republicans will seek to balance things out,” said Stanford Group analyst Paul Gallant: “Some are already moving in that direction.”

“I don’t think we're going to rush out and try to hire someone right away,” said Dick Wiley, whose firm has a mix of Democrats and Republicans and has longstanding relationships with Capitol Hill. “We're always looking for good people,” Wiley said. But there’s no doubt a shift in power on the Hill will put some valuable talent on the street and open hiring opportunities for Democrats.

Greg Rohde, former dir. of NTIA and a Democrat, hopes the change in control of Congress means more bipartisanship. “Things changed dramatically in this town in 2000 and 2001 when too many people drank the Kool-Aid, thinking only one party mattered,” Rohde said: “There was pressure on companies that said you have to fire Democrats and hire Republicans… My personal hope is we return to a spirit of bipartisanship. We've seen the results of one party rule and that only one party is relevant, and the result is nothing gets done.”

Larry Irving, former NTIA dir. and a former aide to Markey, said that except for a few issues - particularly net neutrality and passage of the Cable Act of 1992 - telecom issues have never been partisan. But Irving, who’s not a registered lobbyist, said having ties to Democrats will be a selling point for some lobbyists. “It’s fair to say that folks who know the Democratic members and understand Democratic politics will have some advantages going forward,” he said: “There are some advantages to knowing the person, knowing their preferences, knowing their styles.”

A Democratic lawyer said he expects that Democrats soon to run Congress will send a signal in response to the “K Street Project,” under which founders Tom DeLay (R-Tex.), the former Majority Leader, and influential conservative Grover Norquist pressured trade groups and lobbying firms to employ only Republicans. “Already this summer the lobbying firms were out looking for Democrats,” the lawyer said. “People are very sour over the K Street Project. I'm not saying they'll looking for an eye for an eye, but there will be some payback.”

Meanwhile, many Hill staffers anticipated the change and left before the elections. “My folder of ‘leavers’ is getting really huge. It’s getting sad,” said an industry lobbyist. House Commerce Committee Chmn. Barton (R-Tex.) lost legislative counsel Kelly Cole to NAB in Sept.

Former staffers for once-and-future House Commerce Committee Chmn. Dingell (D-Mich.) are likely to be in demand when the new Congress convenes, we're told. Dingell has a large number of ex-staffers with experience on telecom issues who are now in key positions to dispense advice. Comcast added Dingell counsel Peter Filon. CBS has John Orlando, who worked for Dingell 1986-93. Longtime Dingell staffer David Leach has his own firm, Leach & Assoc., after working for Dewey Ballantine.

“We've been busy. We'll be busier,” said former Clinton White House counsel Jack Quinn of Quinn Gillespie. “There will continue to be a lot of activity on the telecom front and we need a new public policy -- the law is outdated.” His firm is likely to be one of the go-to outlets that Democratic lawmakers seek out -- along with The New America Foundation, where Michael Calabrese, who was gen. counsel to the Joint Economic Committee, is an expert on telecom issues.

Over the past 6 years Republicans have displaced Democrats in many high profile positions in D.C. as a result of the K Street Project and similar pressures. For example, when USTelecom sought a replacement for then-Pres. Roy Neal, a former staffer to Vice President Al Gore, it chose Walter McCormick, who has strong Republican connections and worked for former White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card. Steve Largent, a Republican member of Congress from Okla., replaced Democrat Tom Wheeler as pres. of CTIA. And NCTA chose Bush Administration official and GOP candidate for Congress Kyle McSlarrow as pres., replacing Democrat Robert Sachs. There have been controversies the few times Democrats have been picked for top jobs, such as former Rep. David McCurdy (D- Okla.) to head EIA or former Clinton Agriculture Secy. Dan Glickman to head MPAA.

But, sources said, most communications companies and trade associations have hedged their bets by keeping some lobbyists with ties to Democrats, even as most lobbying shops have been headed by Republicans. For example, at NCTA the number 2 official, Exec. Vp David Krone, has a Democratic Party background.

AT&T provides a case in point. The D.C. office is headed by James Cicconi, formerly deputy chief of staff in the first Bush Administration. The top lobbyist under Cicconi is Tim McKone, a veteran of the 2000 Bush campaign and SBC veteran. But also prominent in the Bell’s lobbying office is Peter Jacoby, who formerly worked in legislative affairs in the Clinton White House and for Dingell.

At Verizon, Tom Tauke, former Republican member of Congress from Ia., is in charge of govt. relations and Peter Davidson, head of the D.C. office, was an aide to former House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Tex.). But former Dingell counsel Gregg Rothschild heads Senate outreach. On the House side, Verizon is represented by Ed Senn, a Republican, and Roger Mott, a Democrat.

At Cingular, the company’s top legislative lobbyist is Kent Wells who worked for former Sen. Nancy Kassebaum (R- Kan.). But Wells has on his staff Heather Herndon, who worked for Rep. Deal (R-Ga.), and Amy Andryszak, a former Democratic fundraiser.

“For many years the Republicans have been running the House, the Senate and the White House. When you hired, you needed to be at least staffed up in that area,” said a telecom insider with ties to the Democrats. “The House mafia that was running the K Street Project is gone. That’s going to take pressure off of how hiring decisions are made. The smart people, if they were forced to tilt more to the R side, that will change. It won’t change immediately but it will change.”

Meanwhile, CEA Pres. Gary Shapiro said his assn. doesn’t hire by party affiliation, after we asked if Jason Oxman was tapped as new vp-communications because he’s a Democrat. “I honestly did not know he was a Democrat,” Shapiro said. “I'm still not sure he’s a Democrat. But frankly I would have been equally happy if he were a Republican. Neither party has a monopoly on brains or talent. We hire based on experience and potential. Jason has both. Plus, he was hired before the election.” CEA hired Senior Vp Michael Petricone from “the Clinton-Gore team” when Congress was Republican, Shapiro said. That’s proof that “whatever their party affiliation, the people we hire are smart enough to know that technology is not partisan,” he said.