Press "Enter" to skip to content

Lobbyist profile: Jay Reichard

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. — After spending the last 16 years as a lobbyist, Jay Reichard said he couldn’t imagine doing anything else.

It’s the relationship building aspect that comes with being a lobbyist that Reichard said he enjoys most about his job, as well as the accompanying stories and knowledge that’s shared in trying to better understand what a client wants to accomplish.

Jay Reichard
Jay Reichard

A lobbyist for Schreimann, Rackers, Francka & Blunt, LLC, Reichard said he and his boss Andy Blunt has had the chance to do a little bit of everything over the years, as their clients span from groups focused on association-specific issues, to some — about 30 percent, he said — which require budget-related work.

But the budget is a familiar area for Reichard, as he learned a lot about the way the process functions at his first lobbying job with Jim Moody just more than 16 years ago.

Reichard was working as a bank examiner in Jefferson City when he said Moody, a family friend, contacted him about a potential job. It was during the first few years after that in which he learned a lot of the rudimentary aspects of the political process that he then used as a lobbyist. Tracking legislation and attending budget hearings were how he spent a lot of his time as he got started.

“The budget is a challenge every year, and, like most states, we’ve had some really challenging budgets in recent years because of declining revenues,” he said. “Last year was kind of the first year the budget had some room to maneuver, so some good things happened last year.”

Of the 20 to 25 clients Reichard said the firm manages each year, depending on the issues that arise, some being corporations, and others are associations, including the Coalition of Community Mental Health Centers, the Missouri Primary Care Association and the Missouri Auto Dealers Association.

During this past session with the Missouri Automobile Dealers Association, Reichard said the firm did a lot of work on the automobile use tax the association advocates for, which he said was unexpectedly changed by a Supreme Court ruling. The accompanying legislation was vetoed by Gov. Jay Nixon during session, but the proponents of the bill worked to get something across the proverbial finish line before session was over.

Reichard said that Phil Schnieders, the director of legislative affairs for the Association, did a lot of hard work in getting something done with the use tax that benefitted local franchise dealers and protected local tax dollars.

With veto session here, ready or not, Reichard said the budget is still something they will be watching closely.

What happens during veto session is likely to have an impact on budget withholdings, he said.

“The budget is going to be something we will keep a close eye on,” he said. “And hopefully the budget situation will continue to improve.”

Preparing for next year, Reichard said the firm is working with clients to talk about what their goals are for 2014 and preparing to gear some of the ideology into legislation.

Reichard said he is fortunate to work with people he respects personally and professionally, and that the firm believes the integrity and character behind what they do is as important as the end result.

“I’ve done it long enough that I’m not really sure what I would do outside of lobbying,” he said about his plans for the future. “Every year is different and brings new challenges and relationships and people to the building. All of those are things I still find interesting and challenging.”

Reichard and his wife, Kristy, live in Jefferson City, Mo., with their two children, a 9-year-old son, Devin, and a 5-year-old daughter, Brooklyn. He said in the off time from work, he is active in his church, coaches basketball and tries to spend as much time as possible with his family.