The economy is booming — for well connected lobbyists swarming Mayor de Blasio’s administration and the City Council to aid their well-heeled clients.
Compensation reported by lobbyists surged past the $100 million mark for the first time in 2018, new records show.
Lobbyists were paid a combined $102.57 million last year — up 7 percent from the $95.6 million in compensation reported in 2017 and 42 percent since de Blasio took office in 2014, according to an annual report released Friday by the City Clerk’s Office.
Suri Kasirer’s firm, Kasirer LLC, secured the spot as top lobbying firm for the second year in a row — taking in $12.8 million from dozens of clients.
Coming in a close second was James Capalino & Associates, which billed clients for about $11.1 million.
No other lobbying firm cleared $5 million.
The two firms combined accounted for nearly one-quarter of all lobbying earnings.
While Kasirer’s firm earned the most, Capalino had the most clients — 315. Kasirer had 204.
Among the clients Kasirer’s 26-member office represents includes NY Presbyterian Hospital, Northwell Health, Charter Communications, Vornado Realty, Tishman Realty, SL Green Realty, Silverstein Properties, the NY Building Congress, the animal rights group NYCLASS, Nordstrom, T-Mobile, MSG Sports, Walt Disney Entertainment, NBC Universal, the Motion Picture Association, Delta Airlines and numerous not-for-profit cultural and social service groups.
Capalino’s network of clients include Accenture, Capital One Development, the Dalton School, Horace Mann School, NYU, Friends of the High Line, Gansevoort Market Inc., Greenwich Village Chamber of Commerce, Hunts Point Cooperative, LeFrak Estates, Macy’s Retail Holdings, Inc., General Contractors Association, Times Square District Management Association, and United Parcel Service, as well as numerous social service groups.
Both lobbying firms represented the Archdiocese of New York and a developer connected to the failed Amazon Project, TF Cornerstone.
Kasirer, who has decades-long ties to both de Blasio and Gov. Cuomo and helped Corey Johnson become Council Speaker, said she’s “proud” of the work of her lobbying team and called the clients the firm works for “the lifeblood of the city.”
Rounding out the top ten lobbying firms in compensation were: Pitta Bishop & Del Giorno ($4.8 million), Bolton-St. Johns ($4.5 million), Constantinople & Vallone ($4.3 million), Greenberg Traurig ($3.9 million), Davidoff Hunter & Citron ($3.1 million), Geto & de Milly ($2.9 million), Connelly McLaughlin & Woloz (2.6 million), and The Wright Group ($2.6 million).
