Former Congressman Mike McIntyre left office six months ago, but he’s still meeting with local officials and special interest groups. The only difference is, this time he’s coming at issues from the perspective of a lobbyist.
McIntyre is now senior adviser and director of government relations for the Poyner Spruill law firm, which among other things lobbies for legislation and government policy on behalf of clients. The longtime 7th Congressional District representative was known for his steadfast support of beach renourishment, inlet dredging, deepening the Wilmington harbor to allow larger ships into the port, agricultural and rural economic development issues and support of the military and veterans.
He said he’s still passionate about those issues, and his new job will allow him to continue to work on them. He spent much of the past two weeks meeting with officials in Wrightsville Beach, Carolina Beach and Wilmington, and he attended a meeting of the Wilmington-New Hanover Port, Waterway and Beach Commission. So far he has visited a dozen coastal communities, and he’s just warming up.
“The legal profession and my community involvement helped prepare me for my work in Congress,” McIntyre said in a phone interview this week, “and now Congress has helped me prepare for my return to the legal profession and the very communities I have served.”
McIntyre’s role also will extend to consulting with local governments on economic development issues and other concerns. “This is broader than just lobbying,” he said.
During his tenure McIntyre, a conservative Democrat, put a high priority on constituent service, to include the coastal counties and towns in the district he represented for 18 years.
Dennis Barbour, chairman of the waterway and beach commission and a former Carolina Beach mayor, said McIntyre also called on an Election Day informing him he had secured $500,000 to maintain Carolina Beach Inlet.
“That was a good call, especially on Election Day,” Barbour said.
McIntyre is banking on his reputation as a congressman to help him in his new career on both sides of the legislative process.
He is counting on that track record to woo potential local government clients.
Among other things, McIntyre said he believes it is important that coastal areas are represented on the issue of oil and gas exploration offshore — especially when it comes to revenue sharing.
“If it were to come to pass, there is no doubt those communities would want to be part of it,” McIntyre told the commission last week.
Because he left office less than a year ago, McIntyre may not lobby his fellow House members yet. But rules addressing the transition between serving in Congress and lobbying Congress do not prohibit him from approaching state lawmakers or even federal agencies.
The benefits of having former lawmakers lobbying for passage of favorable legislation are obvious: They have had a relationship with their former colleagues and can open doors that may not be available to other lobbyists.
That is precisely the problem, said Jane Pinksy, director of the N.C. Coalition on Lobbying and Government Reform. The coalition includes many organizations concerned with fair elections and good governance.
Watchdog groups like hers have for years bemoaned the revolving door between Congress or the statehouse and the world of lobbying. North Carolina’s most influential lobbyist last year, according to the N.C. Center for Public Policy Research, was Harold Brubaker, a Republican former speaker of the N.C. House who left office in 2012.
“It is sad to say, but I think many members would rather meet with Harold Brubaker than with me or other groups,” Pinsky said.
For his part, McIntyre believes his new role puts him in an excellent position to remain involved in issues of importance to North Carolinians.
“I’ll have the liberty to approach issues not only from the federal perspective, but also the state and local perspective,” he said.
In particular, he hopes to continue working on economic development opportunities. As a congressman, he hosted the N.C. Business and Economic Summit with fellow House members from North Carolina. This year, he is attending as a participant.
McIntyre and his wife, Dee, have sold their Lumberton home and are currently staying in their condominium at Sunset Beach. When he’s in the Raleigh office of Poyner Spruill, he stays with a son who practices law in Durham. The dual residences allow him to travel throughout eastern North Carolina, where the firm wants him to focus for now.
“I’m excited about this unique opportunity to come back home where my family and I have roots,” he said.
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