Maryland’s top lobbyists totaled nearly $15 million in 2019 reporting period

Ten lobbyists reported client fees of nearly $15 million last year, the Maryland State Ethics Commission reports.

The combined reported earnings for the top 10 accounted for more than $3 of every $10 reported earned by all Annapolis lobbyists reporting total client payments of at least $50,000.

Overall, 174 registered lobbyists reported earning $50,000 or more for the period for a combined total of nearly $49.1 million for the period of Nov. 1, 2018 to Oct. 31, 2019, which includes all of the 90-day 2019 General Assembly Session.

Reported earnings to the ethics commission represent the amount of client fees paid. Those figures do not include factors including overhead nor take into account other lobbyists at the same firm who also performed services for the same clients.

Topping the list again is Gerard “Gerry” Evans who reported more than $2.6 million in client fees — more than $475,000 more than his report for the same period a year earlier. Evans is a former chair of the Maryland Democratic Party and a top legislative aide to outgoing Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr.
Timothy Perry, of Perry, White, Ross & Jacobson and a former chief of staff to Miller, remains reported nearly $2.4 million, more than $100,000 more than the year before.

Bruce Bereano fell to third from the mid-year report, earning $1.9 million. Bereano is a former aide to former senate presidents William James and Steny Hoyer.

Lisa Harris Jones, Harris Jones & Malone LLC, remains the only woman in the top 10 with reported earnings of slightly less than $1.2 million. Her reported earnings were good enough for fifth on the list, one spot lower than the same time last year.

One notable absence in the end of year reports top earner list is former Sen. Robert Garagiola who, along with his wife Hannah Powers Garagiola and five others, left Alexander & Cleaver. The power lobbying couple and the other defectors opened Compass Government Relations.

Robert Garagiola was frequently among the top lobbyists in terms of reported earnings. Last year he reported more than $735,000, good enough for seventh on the list for the previous November to April reporting period.

For the most recent year, Garagiola, a consultant at Compass Government Relations, reported payments of more than $115.000. Hannah Powers Garagiola reported more than $826,000 for the same period. Her totals were good enough to finish in the top 15.

Alexander & Cleaver is currently embroiled in lawsuits it filed against Hannah Powers Garagiola and five other former employees as well as a number of former clients who left the firm early last year.

No current lobbyists registered for Alexander & Cleaver were in the top 10 lobbyists by reported earnings for the year.

Source: Reports on lobbyist compensation and employer spending as reported to the Maryland State Ethics Commission for the period Nov. 1, 2018 through Oct. 31 2019.