Campaign hire raises conflict Qs
Likely congressional candidate Daniel Koh’s decision to tap a special interest Beacon Hill lobbyist to help run his campaign could raise questions about potential conflicts of interest in his inner circle.
Koh, the former chief of staff for Mayor Martin J. Walsh, is hiring the lobbying and public relations firm Northwind Strategies to direct his potential cam- paign for the seat of retiring U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas. The firm was founded by Doug Rubin, a politically connected registered lobbyist best known for his work for former Gov. Deval Patrick.
Rubin was Patrick’s chief of staff and helped run his successful 2006 and 2010 campaigns, but more recently has been focusing on his growing lobbying business, which represents a number of big corporate interests.
According to state lobbying records, Northwind is a lobbyist for National Grid and IGT, a company with interests in the state’s emerging gaming industry and lottery business.
Northwind also represents the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, the American Progressive Bag Alliance and Anabaric Development Partners, an energy development company based in Wakefield.
Northwind earned a total of $380,000 in state lobbying fees in 2016 and has earned $222,000 in the first six months of 2017, according to state lobbying records.
Northwind Strategies also is a registered federal lobbyist for Anabaric, according to records, though Rubin says the firm has done no lobbying work for them. Northwind was a federal lobbyist for Boston Beer Co. though 2014, according to records.
Rubin said in an email that he has no concerns about his dual roles as lobbyist and campaign strategist and will be doing no federal lobbying work.
“Since we don’t do any federal lobbying, there is no conflict of interest to address in this campaign,” he said.
Rubin said he has been doing some other political work recently, including a recent campaign in New Jersey.
Koh also said he is not concerned that Rubin’s lobbying business will interfere in his campaign.
“Doug Rubin has my full confidence,” he said.
Koh announced recently he was opening an exploratory campaign to run for the seat of Tsongas, who represents Lowell, Lawrence, Haverhill and other towns in the Merrimack Valley. He left his job at City Hall last week and moved to his hometown of Andover.
Koh’s probable candidacy comes as several other well-known Democratic names, including Ellen Murphy Meehan, the exwife of former U.S. Rep. Martin Meehan, announced they would be sitting out for the race. That leaves an opening for Koh, who plans to stress his family’s immigrant roots and opposition to the Trump administration’s immigration policy.
Several Republicans have also expressed an interest in getting into the congressional race. Rick Green, founder of the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, announced this week he is forming an exploratory campaign.