Rooney, Novak form bipartisan Harrisburg firm
Former Pa. Democratic Chairman T.J. Rooney and former state Republican Chairman Alan Novak, have formed a bipartisan government-relations firm in Harrisburg.
In this political environment, it almost doesn't seem natural: A Democrat and a Republican working together, as partners. By choice.
Former Pennsylvania Democratic Chairman T.J. Rooney and former Republican Chairman Alan Novak, partisan antagonists in other times, Wednesday announced they were joining together in a new government-relations enterprise.
RooneyNovak Group LLC will help clients navigate divided government in Harrisburg and Washington, the two men said in a news release.
"If there's a time for such a thing, this is it," Rooney said. "We're friends. We started talking about this a year and a half ago and it just evolved."
Rooney and Novak have combined for political commentary, branded Red vs. Blue, on the Pennsylvania Cable Network and in newspapers, including the Inquirer. They got to know each other as combatants in earlier state partisan battles.
"Political and policy disagreements will always exist," Novak said. "T.J. and I have never believed in stalemates."
Novak was one of the longest serving chairmen in the history of the state GOP, serving from 1996 to 2005, credited with steering a decade of Republican dominance in statewide elections. He was a key adviser to Govs. Tom Ridge, Mark Schweiker and Tom Corbett, and also was a top fundraiser and an adviser to former President George W. Bush.
Rooney was elected to seven terms in the state House, beginning in 1992. He worked on the Gore presidential campaign in 2000 and was the state chairman during the administration of former Gov. Ed Rendell, from 2003 to 2010. Last year, he was chairman of Katie McGinty's campaign for the Democratic nomination for governor, and later an adviser to Gov.-elect Tom Wolf during the general election campaign.
Next Tuesday, Wolf will be inaugurated, facing a legislature with a beefed-up Republican majority.
Rooney said that the new partnership already has landed three clients, in the transportation, human services and technology sectors.
The men said they also will continue to operate their separate, pre-existing advocacy firms: Novak Strategic Advisers and Tri-State Strategies.