Saint Paul Legal Ledger

politicsinmn.com

Metro East The policy behind the politics Thursday, April 26, 2012 The Influencer Former MMB head Hanson carves out a new niche as a corporate lobbyist

BY KEVIN FEATHERLY Special to Capitol Report

Lobbyists around the Capitol used to call them “waterboarding sessions.” The man getting rhetorically drenched was Tom Hanson, Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s commissioner at Minnesota Manage - ment & Budget, the state’s finance agency. The guy primarily doing the drench - ing was Sen. Larry Pogemiller, then co- chairman of the Legislative Commis - sion on Policy and Fiscal Planning. Pogemiller felt the Pawlenty adminis - tration was stonewalling the commis - sion, which provides fiscal analysis to the Legislature. Hanson, seated across from him, was furnishing the atoning pound of flesh. “Your choice is going to be either to offer us something or come up here and have people drag it out of you,” Pogemiller growled during a typical session on April 19, 2009. Hanson replied with customary patience. “Mr. Chairman and members: I think we will have solutions. The first step, and an easy step, would be to carry forward the governor’s allotments to 2013…” And so on. “All the lobbyists laughed,” says Charlie Weaver, Pawlenty’s former chief of staff who was once Hanson’s direct supervisor. “Pogemiller would pound the crap out of him in those hear - ings, and Tom would sit over there, smile and say, ‘Thank you, Senator.’” “You have to have a little bit of a

Hanson | pg 2 Hanson Lobbyist clients include Mayo Clinic, Amazon.com, Walker Art Center Continued from page 1 sense of humor about all of this,” Han - encouraged me and my brother and sis - governor’s office,” Sviggum says. “Tom son says. “I never took any of it person - ter to go off and do something else,” was a very vital part of that strategy set - ally. And I learned that long ago.” Hanson says. ting, probably with only one or two A stocky, bald, easygoing fellow with So he did politics. He remembers other people and myself.” a twisting grin, Hanson, 48, comes giving a speech supporting GOP presi - “I worship the guy,” Hanson says of across as someone who does not rattle dential candidate George H.W. Bush — his former boss, who he calls the “ulti - easily. Approachability has served him and against Ronald Reagan — as a high mate barroom brawler” on the House well in a long career in and around the school junior in 1980. While studying floor. “He was a really tough, outspoken Capitol, observers say. But what has political science at Concordia College, minority leader,” Hanson says. “As really made him a valuable cog in the Hanson was active in the College speaker, he was not afraid to make Capitol machinery, they say, is Han - Republicans. decisions and take the caucus where he son’s sense of personal integrity. Hanson’s first job after graduation thought it should go.” Hanson worked “Tom was always honest and would was as press secretary for GOP U.S. four years for Sviggum. always let us know what he thought,” Rep. Arlan Stangeland. He lost that job says Sen. Richard Cohen, a liberal St. when DFLer Collin Peterson unseated Running the table Paul Democrat and past chairman of Stangeland. So he turned to law, study - In 2002, Pawlenty was elected gover - ing for his J.D. at George Mason Univer - nor and hired away Sviggum’s protégé. the Senate Finance Committee. Cohen sity in Virginia. Not yet 40, Hanson became a key player rarely agreed with Hanson’s positions. While in school, he clerked for a fam - in Pawlenty’s administration, first as “But at the end of the day, we were able ily law practice and a trade association. legislative affairs director, then as to work things out — not to either’s sat - But his political associations made it deputy chief of staff, finally as MMB isfaction,” Cohen says. “He was knowl - almost inevitable that he would wind commissioner. edgeable, honest and very straightfor - up back in government. When his wife, Weaver says that Hanson’s impact ward to work with.” Kris, took a job in Minnesota in 1992 was felt immediately. “In that first term, Steve Sviggum, who hired Hanson helping create Sen. David Durenberg - the most important thing for this gover - to head up his legislative outreach er’s legislative and health care reforms, nor was to have a clear legislative agen - when Sviggum was House speaker in the couple returned to Minnesota. Han - da that he could pass. Tom really led the late 1990s, is far more effusive. son earned his last few law school cred - that effort.” “Tom — by his nature, by his personal - its at William Mitchell College of Law. Weaver also says that Hanson helped ity — is such an open, trustworthy and In 1994, he was hired as a full-time Pawlenty run the table legislatively in loyal guy that he simply is not capable human services researcher with the 2003, despite Democratic control of the of misleading someone,” Sviggum Minnesota House GOP caucus. Before Senate. “We got almost everything,” says. “It is not in his genes.” long he was promoted to head up the Weaver says. “It ranged from pro-life caucus’ media and constituent servic - language that passed. Gun stuff was A keen strategist es. When Republicans won a House big, we passed that. There were a lot of Hanson grew up in Mahnomen, the majority in 1998 and Sviggum was fiscal and social issues that had been scion of stalwart, old-school Republi - named House speaker, Hanson was kind of pent up for a number of years. cans. His father, James, was chief oper - hired as Sviggum’s legislative director. Most important, we solved the budget ating officer at the local bank that was Sviggum says Hanson proved a keen deficit without a tax increase.” owned by his uncle. The young Tom strategist. Hanson’s deft outreach to Senate Hanson never seriously considered fol - “He was important on the floor when Democrats, including Majority lowing his father into the family busi - it came to the moving of legislation, Leader John Hottinger, were key to ness because his cousins effectively meaning the timing and the preparation Pawlenty’s success, Weaver says. were heirs to that throne. “My dad of negotiations with the Senate or the “Tom was widely respected by

The Hanson File Education: Mahnomen High School; B.A., history, Concordia College; J.D., George Mason School of Law Name: Tom Hanson Family: Wife of 22 years, Kris, a homemaker. One son, Sam. Age: 48 Hobbies: Family, friends, following the Vikings, Gophers and Twins. Job: Lobbyist for law firm Winthrop and Weinstein; History buff. “I just finished the Oxford History of the United States, a former MMB commissioner series of books, the best of which is Daniel Walker Howe’s ‘What God Grew up in: Mahnomen, Minn. Hath Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815-1848.’” Lives in: Maple Grove

Hanson | pg 3 Hanson Continued from page 2

Democrats. That was important,” he third of Pawlenty’s proposed budget fix lobbying for its clients. “The last two says. “You needed someone there was reliant on $387 million in federal years, the tax and budget issues before who was viewed with integrity.” stimulus money. the Legislature have been extremely Hanson recalls the Pawlenty years In the same Star Tribune article, important,” says John Knapp, chair of warmly. The governor, though person - McClung said the money wasn’t “stimu - the firm’s legislative and regulatory ally more reserved than Sviggum, was lus money” at all but was carved out of practice group. “So it has been even more effective, Hanson says. a separate pot within a larger stimulus extremely valuable to us and to our “He can strategize and think multiple bill. The crossed-up messaging was clients to get somebody with his back - moves ahead. He masks his emotions, embarrassing to Pawlenty, who was ground in the state budget.” where Sviggum wears them on his preparing to run for president as a Hanson has reeled in several new sleeve. But neither of them takes things sharp federal stimulus spending critic. clients since taking the job, Knapp personally in the legislative process,” “Brian called and said, ‘You and I says, including the Associations of Hanson says. “Pawlenty was and is still should not be debating in the paper,’” Minnesota Public Education Radio the smartest guy in the room.” Hanson recalls. “I laughed and said that Stations, UCare MN and the Walker After Pawlenty won a Art Center. Hanson second term in 2006, clients also include Hanson wanted a Amazon.com, the change. “He and I sat Mayo Clinic, Hewlett- down, and I said, ‘I don’t “You have to have a little bit of a Packard Co. and a half know if I can spend dozen others. another four years doing sense of humor about all of this.” Hanson says his the same thing,’” Hanson new job is not really so recalls. “He said, ‘Well, —Tom Hanson different from his pre - why don’t you be a com - vious work, whether missioner?’” in the House, in Paw - He served four years lenty’s office or at as MMB’s chief, advocat - MMB. He has, he says, ing for Pawlenty’s fiscal positions. I’m sure [Pawlenty] disliked what I said always been someone’s advocate. When he stepped down from the job at even more.’ Brian said, ‘Yes.’” He loves the lobbying life, he says. the end of 2010, Pawlenty credited Hanson stopped publicly discussing “There is a people side. There is kind of Hanson with helping Minnesota retain the subject. “From that point on, I usu - the statutory side, the process side and its AAA bond rating in two of the three ally referred it to somebody down in the helping side. And you mix that all major rating agencies. Hanson had the agency,” he says. “I never did again. together. How do you lay a foundation helped merge the Departments of So I was careful.” from idea to completion to get what Finance and Employee Relations, cre - you want, in the way you want it? Who ating MMB. And he helped spur efforts The advocate do you talk to? When do you talk to to replace the state’s outmoded Shortly before Pawlenty stepped them, how do you talk to them? How accounting and procurement IT sys - down as governor after the election of many times do you talk to them?” tem, Pawlenty said at the time. Mark Dayton, Hanson announced he Hanson says, “It’s a Rubik’s Cube.” But things were not always friction- had accepted a new job as a full-time For anyone who wonders where his free. Hanson inadvertently crossed lobbyist for Minneapolis law firm career arc will take him next, Hanson wires with Pawlenty’s deputy Chief of Winthrop and Weinstine. has a ready answer: nowhere. “I’m Staff Brian McClung in 2010 when Han - Not surprisingly, the firm is happy to going to die with my boots on here,” he son stated in the press that nearly a have a former finance commissioner says.