Assembly Speaker Heastie’s girlfriend scores new job with bigger lobbying firm
She traded up.
State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie’s girlfriend has a new gig at Albany’s biggest lobbying firm — after getting canned from her previous job at a tiny labor outfit.
Rebecca Lamorte lost her job with Greater New York LECET in what the group called a reorganization in June — several months after her powerful beau angrily fended off questions about his potential ethical conflict over dating a lobbyist.
Lamorte has now been scooped up by the $21 million New York lobbying giant Brown & Weinraub.
“Getting to share my passion for both labor and disability advocacy has long been a dream of mine and I’m excited to make it a reality with the team at Brown Weinraub!” Lamorte posted to her LinkedIn on Tuesday morning.
The firm said in an announcement in the Empire Report, “Rebecca will bring her unique experience and skillset to counsel all of our clients and will be a key advisor to the entire BW team.”
After Lamorte was let go by LECET, Heastie (D-Bronx) had made the extremely unusual move of placing a call to the relatively small group.
David Weinraub, a partner and co-founder of Lamorte’s new employer, told The Post that he did not speak with Heastie ahead of the hiring.
“No, no one talked to anybody,” Weinraub said.
Weinraub said he knew Lamorte, who is a regular in the halls of the state capitol during legislative sessions, before her hiring and noted there is nothing unusual about his firm hiring people with connections to the legislature.
Former state Secretary to the Speaker and Senior Policy Advisor LouAnn Ciccone, one of Heastie’s top staffers, joined Brown & Weinraub last year. Retiring state Assemblyman Ken Zebrowski, a Democrat from upstate, resigned from office early this summer to take up a job at the firm, too.
Weinraub declined to say whether his firm is entering into a recusal agreement similar to the one LECET agreed to with the speaker’s office. Under the arrangement, LECET’s lobbyists were prohibited from directly lobbying Heastie.
Heastie rep Mike Whyland didn’t respond to Post questions, including whether any new recusal agreements were in place.
“It’s a marriage made in Albany heaven,” Reinvent Albany Executive Director John Kaehny told The Post of Lamorte’s new gig.
“[Brown & Weinraub] have an opportunity to make friends in high places. It’s Albany at its finest,” he said.
But “it’s a two-edged sword,” Kaehny said. “People are going to think she got the job because of her relationship with the speaker. That may be unfair, but that’s the nature of the business.”
Several other lobbyists who spoke to The Post staunchly defended Lamorte’s professional credentials, including her ties to labor.
“Rebecca was smart and highly regarded long before she met the speaker. Why shouldn’t she be able to work at a terrific firm if she wants?” said James “Cadillac” McMahon, a veteran lobbyist and former Brown & Weinraub employee, to The Post.
“Weinraub is like Leo Durocher. He finds smart and impactful talent,” McMahon, likening the lobbyist giant to the late Brooklyn Dodgers manager.
Lamorte made an unsuccessful bid for New York City Council in 2021 and currently serves on Manhattan Community Board 8. She also regularly advocates for disability-rights issues.
Brown & Weinraub has hundreds of clients, including NYSEG, Orsted Wind, Dow Chemical Company, Chick-Fil-A, McDonalds, Spotify and Mt. Sinai Hospital. According to an annual report from the state lobbying regulator, Brown & Weinraub was the highest compensated influence firm with its lobbyists raking in just over $21 million last year.
Lamorte did not respond to a Post request for comment.
