Former Legislative Leader Lands at ‘White Hat’ Lobbying Shop

Gally Public Affairs, one of the few “white hat” lobbying firms in Annapolis, announced Thursday that John A. Hurson, the former House of Delegates majority leader and chairman of two House committees, will join the firm immediately as a senior adviser.

Hurson spent 15 years representing Montgomery County’s District 18 in the legislature. In addition to serving as majority leader, he was chairman of the Environmental Matters Committee and then the newly-created Health and Government Operations Committee. He also spent a year as president of the National Conference of State Legislatures.

“I am thrilled to be working with John in a formal capacity,” said Eric Gally, president of Gally Public Affairs, Inc. “When he served as HGO chairman, he was the driving force behind major improvements in our health care system. He knows the legislative process and he has experience doing the heavy lifting of major policy initiatives. He will be a great asset.”

Gally’s 23-year-old lobbying firm represents clients before the General Assembly, executive branch agencies and local governments. His stable of mostly nonprofit clients include the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, MedMark Treatment Centers and the Maryland Academy of Family Physicians, Advocates for Children and Youth.

In a statement, Hurson said he was excited to be able to work with his former legislative colleagues. He’ll become a registered lobbyist and a permanent employee of Gally’s firm.

Hurson left the legislature in 2005 to become vice president of the Personal Care Products Council in Washington, D.C., and recently retired from that job.

“Eric does a fantastic job of representing many of our health care non-profit organizations and important public policy issues before the legislature,” Hurson said.

Maryland Matters reported earlier this week that Hurson is also working, on a pro bono basis, with a former colleague, ex-Del. Mathew J. Mossburg (R), on a pilot program to combat opioid addiction.

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