Public agencies in Pennsylvania spend millions to lobby state government

• Elena Eisenstadt
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• Vincent DiFonzo
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Bob Regola served a single term in the Pennsylvania Senate, from 2005 to 2009, representing a district centered on Westmoreland County. Before that, he was a supervisor in one of the county’s townships.

Regola, a Republican, hasn’t collected a government salary since he left the Senate. But he’s still benefiting from taxpayer dollars — as a lobbyist working for boroughs and school districts in Westmoreland County. Since the start of 2024, he’s been paid nearly half a million dollars to represent their interests in Harrisburg.

Regola isn’t the only well-connected ex-politician to get into lobbying, nor are the Westmoreland County governments paying for his services alone in using public money to lobby the state. From school districts and townships to transit agencies and boroughs, public entities across the state are paying big bucks to be heard in the Capitol.

Across Pennsylvania, at least 90 local governments have paid nearly $7 million in taxpayer money to hire 38 private lobbying firms since last year — all to influence lawmakers and secure more state funding. 

Many of those firms were founded by or employ political insiders who know the system and, possibly more important, have connections to the major players in the Legislature and the executive branch.

WITF contacted every local government agency that has paid for lobbying services since the beginning of 2024 to ask what services these lobbying firms provide. Twenty-three public agencies responded. 

There is no central clearinghouse tracking which governments pay for lobbying services. General data on state lobbying activity is compiled in a statewide registry, and all lobbyists have been required to register with the Pennsylvania Department of State since 2007. WITF analyzed those records. 

Officials who see nothing wrong with using taxpayer money for lobbying said well-connected, top-dollar firms can make it easier, especially for small municipalities, to win competitive state grants. Many public agencies said money spent on lobbyists helped them secure more state money than what it cost to hire them.  

“Why shouldn’t we leverage tax dollars? Why not get that back with the help of someone else?” said Richland School District Superintendent Arnold Nadonley, whose district has spent $99,000 since the beginning of 2024 with one lobbying firm, Keystone Strategic Advocacy LLC. 

The city of Lancaster has paid lobbying firm Long & Nyquist $90,000 since the beginning of 2024 to help secure funding for city-specific and community projects. The firm also helps “monitor legislation [and] advocate for or against specific legislation that impacts our operations and/or taxpayers,” according to Amber Righter, a spokesperson for Lancaster Mayor Danene Sorace. 

Meanwhile, North Middleton Township in Cumberland County has paid $90,000 to the lobbying firm Saxton & Stump since the beginning of last year to win grants to buy police vehicles, restore a restroom in a public park and install new traffic signals, township Manager John Epley said.

Being ‘iced out’ 

Most local governments and public agencies in Pennsylvania don’t hire lobbyists – and for very good reason. Lobbyists cost money, and most governments in the commonwealth operate on shoestring budgets already.

“The more money you have, the more you’re willing to spend to get more,” said David Sanko, executive director of the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors. “But most of the local governments in Pennsylvania are not flush with cash — not sitting on multi-million-dollar account balances that they feel they can just compete for grants when they think they qualify.” 

Craig Holman, government ethics lobbyist with the D.C.-based consumer rights advocacy group Public Citizen, noted that some see the practice of hiring lobbyists as wasteful government spending, when local public agencies could advocate for themselves directly to their representatives

“Government agencies with smaller budgets couldn’t afford to hire lobbying firms anyway, so they could very well be iced out of [funds],” Holman said.  

Deanne Shupe, treasurer of Apollo Borough in Armstrong County, said she would support a ban on taxpayer-funded lobbying. Apollo is home to 1,500 people, and has paid Regola roughly $14,000 since the beginning of 2024.

“Politicians should visit their local governments instead of them paying thousands of dollars for someone to lobby for them,” she said. “Local governments that are not able to pay for a lobbyist are then looked over. I don’t think it’s fair at all.” 

More than a dozen states regulate local governments’ hiring of lobbyists, and four heavily restrict the practice. But the majority, including Pennsylvania and all of its neighboring states, have no regulations on their books. 

State lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have made routine attempts to regulate or ban taxpayer-funded lobbying for decades. At least five bills to ban the practice have been proposed in Harrisburg in the last 20 years, but none have been enacted. 

State Sen. Dawn Keefer, R-York, is the latest lawmaker to advocate for a ban. She has criticized the practice for allowing local governments to end run taxpayers who may not support the programs the local officials are seeking to fund.

This is all “growing government,” she said. “By curbing the use of taxpayer funds for political influence, this bill promotes fiscal responsibility and strengthens focus on core government duties,” Keefer wrote in a June memo.

House Majority Leader Matthew Bradford, D-Montgomery, House Minority Leader Jesse Topper, R-Bedford, and Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman, R-Indiana, did not respond to a request for comment on the legislation. Senate Democratic leader Jay Costa of Allegheny County declined to comment. 

A revolving door 

Lobbying firms often represent multiple public agencies concentrated in areas where their lobbyists have significant personal or professional influence.

Holman said that’s intentional: “When it comes to hiring lobby firms to try to get something done for your agency, [public agencies] will focus on lobby firms that have direct connections to those who they want to influence.”

For example, Regola represents 15 of the public agencies, or 16% statewide, that have registered lobbying contracts. All of them are townships or boroughs located in Westmoreland or neighboring counties. Collectively, they have paid more than $470,000 to Regola Consulting since the beginning of last year.

Regola, the firm’s chief executive and sole lobbyist, served one term in the Pennsylvania Senate, from 2005 to 2009. Pennsylvania has a mandated one-year waiting period before former lawmakers can become registered lobbyists. 

Regola represents Hempfield Township, where he served as chairman to the Board of Supervisors before becoming a lawmaker. The firm also represents the Hempfield Area School District — Regola’s alma mater.

Salem, a Westmoreland township of 6,000 people, has paid Regola Consulting $30,000 since the beginning of 2024, according to the registry. 

“[Regola’s] involvement has been critical in maximizing the return of taxpayer dollars to support essential local initiatives,” said Salem Township Manager Kerry Jobe.

He is particularly important to the township’s financial wellbeing because Salem does not have a business manager, according to Jobe. “Throughout our project discussions, Mr. Regola is consistently evaluating grant and funding opportunities, considering deadlines and alignment with state and county comprehensive plans,” he said.

Regola did not respond to a request for comment.

Another firm, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, PC, represents nine of the public agencies, or 10% statewide, that have registered lobbying contracts. Nearly all of the clients are located in Allegheny County, and collectively, they have spent more than $530,000 on the firm’s service since the beginning of last year. 

Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney lobbyists helped the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh secure more than $7 million of federal and state funding for its managed projects in 2024, including Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grants, said spokesperson Dana Bohince. The Authority has spent more than $86,000 on the lobbying firm since the beginning of last year, according to the registry. 

“These services bolster our ability to attract funding for programming and activities that strengthen Pittsburgh communities, as well as advance growth throughout the entire Pittsburgh region,” she wrote.

Lobbyists Jarah Doose and Charles Kolling Jr. work with the majority of Allegheny County public agencies represented by the firm. Before joining Buchanan, Doose worked for former U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle, a Democrat whose district included Allegheny County. Kolling began his political career in the 1970s when he served as the executive assistant to the chairman of the Allegheny County Board of Commissioners. 

Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney did not respond to a request for comment. 

Biggest spender: SEPTA

Although most public agencies in the state’s registry only work with a single lobbying firm, nine agencies, or 10%, hire multiple firms. The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority is registered with 11 firms — the most of any public agency statewide.

SEPTA uses lobbyists to maintain relationships with lawmakers and advocate for policy, said spokesperson Andrew Busch. Perhaps the most overriding priority for the agency’s lobbyists is  securing funding in the overdue state budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year. The deadlock in Harrisburg has already prompted SEPTA to implement major service cuts.

Lobbying is “mainly about our efforts to educate people about SEPTA, to engage them about our needs and our impact,” Busch said. He added SEPTA employs four people on its government affairs staff, who he argued do not have the capacity to complete the agency’s advocacy efforts alone. 

SEPTA also contracted with the lobbying firm Malady & Wooten, Inc, until 2016, which still mainly represents public agencies that are transit authorities. Since the beginning of last year, transit authorities across the state have paid Malady & Wooten nearly $360,000 collectively for lobbying services, according to the registry.

Malady & Wooten did not respond to a request for comment. 

SEPTA has also spent the most money on lobbying firms of any public agency — nearly $600,000 — since the beginning of 2024. The Allegheny County Port Authority spent nearly $240,000, the second highest amount. The Philadelphia School District spent roughly $220,000, the third highest amount according to the registry.

Allegheny County Port Authority did not respond to a request for comment. 

Philadelphia School District contracted its lobbyist, the DT Firm, through a competitive request-for-proposal process, according to spokesperson Christina Clark.

Hyper-local connections

The 15 other lobbying firms contracting with single public agencies often have hyper-local connections to their clients.

For example, the only public agency the lobbying firm KAM Strategies represents is the ​​Shamokin-Coal Township Joint Sewer Authority in Northumberland County. The authority spent $8,000 on the lobbying firm just this spring, according to the registry. 

Kurt Masser, president of the firm, is a former Republican state representative and county commissioner from Northumberland County. Rob Slaby, the firm’s associate, is the former Coal Township manager and secretary, and also served as a member of the Northumberland County Tax Collection Committee. 

Neither KAM Strategies, nor ​​Shamokin-Coal Township Joint Sewer Authority responded to requests for comment. 

Similarly, the only public agency the lobbying firm SALVO Strategies represents is the Fayette County Development Authority, which has spent more than $89,000 on the lobbying firm since the beginning of last year, according to the registry. 

Vanessa DeSalvo Getz, founder and president of the firm, grew up in Fayette County. She is honored to serve her home county and said “the work is deeply personal to me, and I am committed to helping our clients navigate complex challenges, build strong partnerships, and achieve meaningful results.”

Fayette County Development Authority did not respond to a request for comment. 

Getz’ father, Ron Desalvo, served as a township supervisor in Fayette County for 18 years. Republican Sen. Patrick Stefano, whose district includes the county, passed legislation to name a piece of the Mon-Fayette Expressway the “Ronald F. DeSalvo Memorial Interchange” after Getz’s father in 2015 and planned to expand it into Pittsburgh.