Lobbying firm continues to go to bat for Hammond

BY STEVE ZABROSKI, Times of Northwest Indiana Correspondent

HAMMOND | A heavy-hitting Indianapolis lobbying firm will continue to represent the city downstate for another year.

The Board of Public Works and Safety on Thursday approved keeping Bose Public Affairs Group, an affiliate of legal powerhouse Bose McKinney & Evans LLP, on the job for $60,000.

Bose, one of the state's largest lobbying organizations, has longtime political strategist Andrew Miller working with Democratic legislators, and former House Speaker Paul Mannweiler on the Republican side of the aisle on Hammond's account.

"We're fortunate to have representatives like these working for us in the statehouse," Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. said Friday.

Hammond first enlisted the firm, then known as Bose Treacy Associates, in 2005, and Mannweiler and his staff's efforts were credited with helping defeat legislation that would have redirected significant casino tax receipts away from northern cities to Indianapolis.

"Every year we're playing defense on keeping gaming money," said McDermott, who estimated that the lobbying work has saved as much as $15 million per year for Hammond.

With offices in Indianapolis and Washington, D.C., Bose also represents the cities of Whiting, Fort Wayne, Terre Haute and Bloomington, and many other companies and organizations including the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns; ITR Concession Co. LLC, operator of the Indiana Toll Road; and Merrillville-based White Lodging Services Corp.

Bose representatives do not bill the city by the hour, but are expected to work full time when the legislature is in session.

"If any bill impacts Hammond, they're working on it," McDermott said.