More government money for economic development, stormwater flooding control, waste-water improvements and many other items has led Isle of Palms city leaders to hire Thorn Run Partners (TRP) as its federal lobbying firm. TRP, founded in 2010 and located in Washington, D.C., was selected by a unanimous council vote on March 25, following a process that reduced the search to two candidate firms.
“We use lobbyists to find grants and to lobby for government programs that will benefit the island,” said IOP Councilman Blair Hahn. “The current needs include grants and programs to provide federal assistance with beach renourishment and flood mitigation.”
The choice for TRP came out of discussion and ultimate recommendation by members of the council’s Administration Committee and the Isle of Palms Water and Sewer Commission. In a report given on March 11 during a council workshop, committee chair John Bogosian said TRP “offered a lot of South Carolina links, especially to Senator Lindsey Graham into the governor’s office.
“Their strong ties to South Carolina’s legislative delegation was a key component to our selection,” Bogosian said. “And ultimately, to get anything at the federal level, it really has to be sponsored by your state contingent.”
Another factor was TRP’s background and record. Ranked as the No. 7 lobbying fim out of 2,100-plus federal lobbying fims reviewed by Bloomberg and Politico in 2024, TRP currently represents more than 270 clients in 11 states including Florida, Montana, California, Texas and Oregon.
In South Carolina, TRP already acts for the interests of nine entities, which include the City of Greenville in the Upstate, Richland County in the Midlands, the College of Charleston and Roper Hospital in downtown Charleston.
TRP partner Jim Davenport, who authored the proposal for Isle of Palms, indicated that many of the fim’s current clients — such as Gulfport, Florida, and Blooming-ton, Illinois — are similar in the types of challenges as those faced by Isle of Palms.
“With our support, the City of Isle of Palms and the Isle of Palms Water and Sewer Commission will benet from proactive federal en-gagement,” Davenport said, “keeping lawmakers informed of critical local issues such as water, sewer, recreation, road improvements, economic development, stormwa-ter drainage needs and shoreline protection/beach renourishment, among many others.”
Expectations are that it will take two years for the city to see what Bogosian called “any appreciable payback.”
“But this is the right thing to do for the broader good,” said Mayor Phillip Pounds.
By L. C. Leach III
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