The veteran chairman of the state Senate's budget committee has decided to turn his election defeat into potentially more lucrative work, announcing yesterday that he will become a legislative lobbyist when his term ends next month.
Laurence Levitan, a Montgomery County lawyer who has chaired the Budget and Taxation Committee for 16 years and who currently co-chairs Gov.-elect Parris N. Glendening's transition budget advisory committee, said he will join the law and %J lobbying firm of Rifkin, Livingston & Silver.
"With all the success I've had getting legislation passed, I might as well do it now and get paid for it," Mr. Levitan said candidly.
Alan M. Rifkin, former chief legislative officer for Gov. William Donald Schaefer, is the managing partner of the firm. Earlier this month, the firm recruited Mr. Rifkin's longtime political mentor, Lt. Gov. Melvin A. Steinberg.
Mr. Levitan, 61, was defeated for re-election last month by Republican Jean W. Roesser. He joins a growing list of elected officials and staff members who have moved this year from public service to lobbying.
In addition to Mr. Steinberg, the list includes Senate Finance Committee Chairman James C. Simpson, Sen. American Joe Miedusiewski, former House Speaker R. Clayton Mitchell Jr., former Speaker Pro Tem Gary Alexander, and John R. Stierhoff, the former top aide to Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr.
During a career in the legislature that dates back to 1971, Mr. Levitan developed an expertise in budget and tax matters. He was well liked by most of his colleagues for his easy-going, laid-back style, but was criticized back home for failing to protect Montgomery County from financial raids by other jurisdictions.
Mrs. Roesser also accused Mr. Levitan of unethically representing clients before state agencies while serving in the legislature. Mr. Levitan readily acknowledged such representation, but denied that it was unethical, saying he always publicly disclosed his actions as required by law.
Mr. Levitan said he saw no reason not to continue as a budget adviser to Mr. Glendening until the transition committee is dissolved in mid-January, and a spokesman for Mr. Glendening said he agreed.
"The governor-elect doesn't see any conflict because the committee is charged with developing a broad, four-year strategy to both streamline the budget and explore ways that taxes can be cut," said Charles F. Porcari, the spokesman. "Given the broad conceptual nature of the committee's assignment, it is hard to foresee any kind of conflict."
Mr. Levitan will run the law firm's Annapolis office, freeing Mr. Rifkin to spend more time developing clients and dealing with other areas of the firm. Mr. Rifkin has expressed a desire to become personally more involved in corporate law and less directly in legislative lobbying.
Mr. Levitan, like Mr. Steinberg, will be "of counsel" to the firm, meaning they are neither partners nor employees but rather share in the business they personally bring to the firm. Mr. Levitan said he expects to lobby lawmakers on a regular basis, whereas Mr. Steinberg said he expects to lobby on only an occasional basis. The additions of Mr. Levitan and Mr. Steinberg help Mr. Rifkin bulk up a firm that had been one of the preeminent lobbying forces in Annapolis until two of its principals, Gerard E. Evans and Joel D. Rozner, defected in September.
Mr. Levitan has worked as an attorney for the national law firm of Baker & Hostetler for the past three years, and before that with the now defunct firm of Frank Bernstein Conaway & Goldman.