Life of a Lobbyist: Area consultants are Springfield's go-to guys in Jefferson City

He said nothing has been further from the truth in his 19-year career as a lobbyist for a medley of clients that includes the city of Springfield, City Utilities and the Springfield R-XII school district. Marrs, who doesn’t represent clients in the gaming, tobacco or alcohol industries, is proud of the reputation he’s cultivated as a dependable advocate for governmental agencies, educational institutions and nonprofits in southwest Missouri.

“I get the white-hat image, which is not a bad image to have,” he said.

Marrs owns Governmental Services Group Inc., a Jefferson City-based lobbying firm he opened in 1989. The Drury University graduate worked for former U.S. Sen. John Danforth in Washington, D.C., and the Missouri Department of Economic Development before returning to Springfield, where he was tapped as the city’s second lobbyist.

For 19 consecutive years, City Council has renewed Marrs’ annual contract, now at $88,370.

Dynamic duo

Marrs has a veteran partner in crime, so to speak.

For years, Marrs and lobbyist Jerry Burch have been the go-to guys for some of the area’s largest and most influential entities.

Burch, owner of Jefferson City-based Burch & Associates, has been the face of Missouri State University in the capital for 18 years. And last month, the MSU Board of Governors renewed his contract another year for $78,849.

Burch said his behind-the-scenes work on MSU issues runs the gamut from the school’s hard-fought name change to securing funding for the growing West Plains campus.

MSU President Michael Nietzel doesn’t hesitate when asked about Burch’s value.

“The No. 1 quality of Jerry Burch is that everybody trusts him,” Nietzel said. “He works well with Republicans and Democrats. He’s a constant set of eyes and ears for us. We can’t be in Jeff City, and he can during the session.”

Looking ahead, Nietzel said Burch would continue pushing to restore higher education funding to its 2001 level and emphasize the Preparing to Care Initiative, which seeks $38 million to increase the number of graduates in health care fields by 20 percent.

Marrs is likewise lauded by his largest client, the city of Springfield.

City Attorney Dan Wichmer said Marrs has repeatedly tackled the city’s top issues in Jefferson City and kept a watchful eye over legislation that could negatively impact the city. Marrs lobbied for a state crime lab in Springfield, additional funding for the city’s Enhanced Enterprise Zone and the Missouri Downtown Economic Stimulus Act Lite – or MODESA Lite – program, which allows sharing of additional state sales tax revenue created by downtown redevelopment for smaller cities.

“Scott (Marrs) handles all the legwork. He’s just our person on the ground,” Wichmer said. “I think Scott is a very underappreciated asset in terms of what the public needs to know about (his) effectiveness.”

Marrs and Burch said a straightforward approach combined with a deep knowledge of the legislative process has served them well through the years. Planning ahead and remaining patient as politics play out are also important traits, they said, noting that nothing trumps integrity.

“The misconception that’s out there is that if you take somebody out to dinner, that you’re buying their vote,” Burch said. “Their time is very valuable, and it does give you the opportunity to have their ear and visit with them. But I don’t know of anybody that’s ever given me a vote for a meal.”

Private industry

Some Springfield-based companies – Bass Pro Shops and Prime Inc. among them – either have registered lobbyists on staff or contract with legislative consultants.

At trucking firm Prime, spokesman John Hancock said his status as a registered lobbyist with the Missouri Ethics Commission is more of a formality to avoid any appearance of inappropriate contact with lawmakers. Hancock said he doesn’t recall appearing before a single committee during the last session.

Prime relies heavily on organizations such as the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Missouri Motor Carriers Association to monitor issues of interest, such as worker’s compensation, unemployment and truck licensing, Hancock said.

“They keep us alerted on what’s going on,” he added.

For the past four years, Bass Pro has contracted with Springfield-based consultant Matt Morgan to shape public policy on conservation issues primarily related to hunting and fishing. When he’s summoned to the capital to testify on such topics, Morgan said he frequently meets with legislators and members of the Missouri Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus.

“I like to think of myself as a voice for sportsmen across the state,” he said.

Morgan also is a registered lobbyist for Big Cedar LLC, Tracker Marine Group, Wonders of Wildlife Museum and American Rod and Gun Co., according to the state Ethics Commission. He, too, vouched for Marrs and Burch.

“Scotty Marrs and Jerry Burch have done more for Springfield than the citizens of Springfield will ever know,” he said.

Scott Marrs

Largest client: City of Springfield

Company: Governmental Services Group Inc.

Years representing top client: 19

2008–09 contract: $88,370 (including $15,000 from City Utilities)

Expenses: $66 per diem

Mileage reimbursement rate: 53 cents per mile

Monthly amount for health insurance: $700

Other local clients: Springfield Public Schools, Greene County Commission, St. John’s Hospital

Jerry Burch

Largest client: Missouri State University

Company: Burch & Associates

Years representing top client: 18

2008–09 contract: $78,849

Expenses: Fully reimbursed for submitted receipts

Mileage reimbursement rate: 47.5 cents per mile

Other local clients: City Utilities of Springfield, Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce[[In-content Ad]]