Washington Post
October 19, 2006
Judy Sarasohn
Republican lobbying shop Barbour Griffith & Rogers has picked up a client that won't be an easy sell to the U.S. government, but at least it pays well.
The contract is with the government of Serbia for $60,000 a month, from July 28, 2006, through Jan. 31, 2009. If all goes as planned, that would amount to a total of $1.8 million.
Barbour Griffith's work for Serbia, which wants to join the European Union, comes at a time of tense negotiations over the independence of Kosovo and its ethnic Albanians as well as the Serbian government's apparent lack of interest in finding war crimes suspect Ratko Mladic. Kosovo has been administered by the United Nations since 1999, when a U.S.-led NATO bombing campaign drove Serbian forces out.
For $60,000 a month, Barbour Griffith will "provide strategic counsel and tactical planning on foreign policy matters regarding Serbia before the U.S. government," according to the contract the firm included in its foreign-agent filing with the Justice Department. The contract was signed by Milan Parivodic, the minister for international economic relations, as O'Dwyer's PR Daily first reported.
The firm's lobby registration with Congress answered the question on specific lobbying issues this way: "Provide guidance and counsel with regard to issues impacting the bilateral relationship between the U.S. and Serbia."
The Barbour Griffith team working for Serbia includes Robert A. Blackwill , former deputy national security adviser in the Bush administration, and Andrew Parasiliti , former foreign policy adviser to Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.). Blackwill is president of Barbour Griffith & Rogers International , the lobby shop's foreign policy arm, and Parasiliti is vice president.
Blackwill was in Serbia in May 2005 and spoke at the University of Belgrade. According to a copy of his speech, he expressed optimism about Serbia's future, and urged the Bush administration recognize "the need to collaborate with Serbia to achieve lasting progress in this region." But, noting his "own private views," he also said: "If the final status of Kosovo is not reached soon, the region risks a new eruption of violence. That would also push back for many years Serbia's full reentry into Europe and into the international community."
Barbour Griffith doesn't usually say much about its work for clients. Parasiliti went so far as to say: "We are pleased to be able to work for the government of Serbia."
New on the Avenue
Two Democratic lobbyists are rebranding their work and forming a new lobby shop, Avenue Solutions . Laurie Sullivan was previously co-founder of Sullivan & Baldick and Tracy Spicer worked there.
The level of interest in Democratic lobbyists will depend partly "on the results on Nov. 7. I think business is going to pick up," Sullivan said, though she added that Avenue Solutions has a pretty good book of business now. The firm represents such clients as Aetna, Northwest Airlines and the National Cable and Telecommunications Association.
Sullivan, a Democratic activist, ran government relations for Aetna in Connecticut. Spicer earlier was a longtime aide to Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), including a stint as political director.
Nick Baldick , who specializes in grass-roots and political work, formed a new company, too, Hilltop Public Solutions . Sullivan said they will still collaborate on projects.
Gorilla Gets a Voice
While some folks think of AARP as an 800-pound gorilla, the seniors and boomers-plus lobby wants to make sure its voice is heard during policy debates, particularly as Washington turns to the presidential campaign cycle after the Nov. 7 midterms. So AARP created the post of publicity director and hired Brian Marriott for the job.
Marriott comes off a five-year stint as special assistant for media relations to the Federal Communications Commission chairman, first for Michael K. Powell and then Kevin J. Martin. He was political director in Missouri for the 2000 Bush-Cheney campaign and worked in the 2004 campaign.
While noting that there is a perception -- or "misperception" -- that AARP tilts to the left, media relations director Mark Kitchens says AARP did not "consider politics to be part of the equation" in hiring Marriott.
Kitchens says the new job is designed to help the group frame its issues and get out front in public debate. "We want to play and continue to play an even more robust role," he said.
Marriott, 33, says this is "a very exciting time to be here, with baby boomers starting to reach the age of retirement," adding to AARP's influence.
Here and There
Also moving about town . . . Peggy Binzer , senior FDA health counsel to the Senate Budget Committee, is joining the public health preparedness practice of the McKenna Long & Aldridge law firm. Her last day on the Hill was yesterday.
Erich Mische , most recently chief of staff to Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.), recently left the Hill for the lobby shop mCapitol Management . But he's not going too far. Mische remains a political adviser to Coleman.
Wendy Helgemo has joined the National American Indian Housing Council as director of its Office of Governmental Affairs. A member of the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin, she previously was a staff attorney at the office of general counsel of the National Indian Gaming Commission.
Gail Ravnitzky-Silberglied , former chief of staff to Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), has moved to the Jewish Coalition Against Domestic Abuse as executive director.