Kenney Administration Hires New Lobbying Firm To Represent City's Interests In State Capital

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Mayor Jim Kenney's administration has announced it has hired a new lobbying firm to represent the city's interests in Harrisburg.

KYW's City Hall bureau chief Pat Loeb reports the contract went to a firm with roots in Pittsburgh.

Buchanan Ingersoll Rooney will replace the Kinser Group, which represented the city for eight years under the Nutter administration, a job the company principal describes as "exhausting," because of the former mayor's aggressive agenda at the state level -- expanding the sales tax and transforming the housing authority board, among other initiatives.

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She says the new mayor has a different approach.

Kinser had stayed on through delays in awarding the new contract. An earlier bid by Buchanan was scuttled after its minority partner was indicted. Its new subcontractor is Commonwealth Strategies, a woman-owned firm based in Philadelphia. The $40,000 contract goes through June 2017, with options for renewals. About $30,000 of that will got to Buchanan and $10,000 to Commonwealth.

Kenney's spokeswoman Lauren Hitt says the administration doesn't want to give away its hand in Harrisburg but a bill that would withhold state funds from sanctuary cities is clearly a top concern.

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Buchanan was not the lowest bid of the nine applicants but the city says it was chosen because of its record of representing large groups and governments.

The $41,000 contract goes through June.