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Kelley FILE Messer FILE FILE ALAN POGUE Roberts Toomey seems to be smiling or laughing. His clients include Hollywood Casino Corp., Miller Brewing, Texaco, the San Antonio Spurs and Bank of America. Rusty Kelley. He’s on everyone’s list of the most influential lobbyists. Like Gullahorn, Kelley, 47, was an aide to House Speaker Billy Clayton. Kelley rents space from the law firm Small Craig & Werkenthin, but he doesn’t work for the firm. If the Lege is in session, he’s at the Capitol. Often uses computer analysis and other methods to predict vote outcomes. Clients include AMR, \(the parent company of American owned paper Association and the Texas Rangers. Bill Messer. Handles everything from Big Macs to tort reform. An attorney and former legislator from Bell County, Messer, 43, works for McDonald’s, the Texas Hospital Association and Texans for Lawsuit Reform, the group pushing Gov. Bush’s tort reform agenda. He also represents the Texas Telephone Association, an association of local phone service providers. Jack Roberts. His clients are among the biggest companies in the U.S. They include AT&T, Anheuser-Busch, Nations Bank and the Bass Partnership. Roberts, 45, and Kelley also represent the Texas Rangers, so he has a working relationship with Gov. George W. Bush. Roberts learned the ropes from Lieut. Gov . Bob Bullock. Roberts worked for the state for more than 20 years before becoming lobbyist. His longest position was at the Comptroller’s office under Bullock, as Chief Deputy Comptroller from 1983 to 1990. He started lobbying in 1990. Mike Toomey. A pal of the new gov ernor, Toomey will be pushing Bush’s tort reform agenda for Texans for Lawsuit Reform. Other clients include Apple Computer, Associated Builders and Contractors and Trinity Meadows Raceway. Toomey, a 44-year-old attorney, was a legislator from 1983 to 1989. During his tenure in the Lege, “he was the meanest of the mean, the most partisan of the partisan,” said one environmental advocate. Unlike the other lobbyists listed here, Toomey is almost devoid of personality and charm. After meeting him, it’s hard to understand how he’s gotten this far. Toomey actively works against labor and consumer groups. His big payday this session may come from the Texas Telephone Association, which is fighting to keep its portion of the local phone business, and the tort reform battle. Honorable Mention: George Christian, Buddy Jones, Dick Ingram, Stan Schlueter, Don Adams, Melvin “Burnie” Burner, Ed Small, Mignon McGarry. Most influential law firms: Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, McGinnis Lochridge & Kilgore, Hughes & Luce Top Dollars Public Citizen’s list of the highest paid lobEthics Commission, lobbyists list a range of payment from each client. Thus, arriving at an exact figure is virtually impossible. The following list is useful because it estimates total gross income for individual lobbyists. Take-home pay for these individuals is probably somewhat less than the figures shown. Many of the people on this list are also on the list of the most influential lobbyists. Heading the list is George Christian, former aide to President Lyndon B. Johnson. Christian says he’s not a lobbyist, but whenever big issues are afoot, count on Christian to be in the vicinity. 1.George Christian, $1.4 million 2.Rusty Kelley, $1.1 million 3.Billy Clayton, $1.06 million 4.Jack Roberts $1.04 million 5.Phil Cates, $1.03 million 6.Stan Schlueter, $880,000 7.Galt Graydon, $872,000 8.Don Adams, $697,000 9.Angelo Zottarelli, $665,000 10.Will Davis, $605,000 11.Gib Lewis, $587,000 12.Ben Barnes, $620,000 13.Charlie Evans, $555,000 14.Mignon McGarry, $512,000 15.A.R. “Babe” Schwartz, $492,000 The $200,000 + Club Six lobbyists are paid between $200,000 and $999,999.99 to lobby for individual interests. How lobbyists set their rates and what they disclose is a closely held secret. Most lobbyists dispute the numbers they submit, saying that they overstate what their actual compensation is. Nevertheless, as the list that follows indicates, several lobbyists are making rock-star-type salaries at the Capitol. Kent Caperton, Winstead Sechrest & Winick, Austin Larry B. Feldcamp, Baker & Botts, Houston Pamela Giblin, Baker & Botts Nicholas Kralj, Station Casinos, Las Vegas. Nicholas Kralj, Texas Trial Lawyers Association, Houston Nicholas Kralj, Jack B. Binion, Las Vegas Cynthia Ohlenforst, Electronic Data Systems, Dallas Linda M. “Jo” Shotwell, Cathey, Hutton & Associates, Austin Linda M. “Jo” Shotwell, Texas Statewide Telephone Coop, Inc. The easiest way to learn what lobbyists are up to is to dial the Ethics Commission’s computer bulletin board. Using your log-on procedures. It’s easy and it’s free. Paper copies are available at the commission office in north Austin. NOTICE TO OUR READERS: On February 16, when this issue was delivered to the printer on our regular production schedule, we found that the Inter nal. Revenue Service had seized the equipment of the printer for nonpayment of taxes. This not only has delayed publica tion of this issue, but since the printer also kept our subscriber list on computer for mailing, it forces us to improvise with a backup subscriber list. We appreciate your indulgence while we resolve this matter. THE TEXAS OBSERVER 17