Northshore business interest groups hire their own lobbyist

Northshore businesses now have their own lobbyist. The Joint Public Policy Committee, a collaboration of the St. Tammany West and East Chambers of Commerce and the Northshore Business Council, has hired Dino Paternostro, president of LegisLink, to serve as the legislative advocate for government relations issues important to the St. Tammany business groups. Paternostro has 16 years of experience at the state capitol as a lobbyist for the Metropolitan Hospital Council of New Orleans, and more recently with Greater New Orleans, Inc., the regional economic alliance for the 10-parish area. He has been a registered lobbyist since 1994 and is a Fellow of the LSU Academy of Politics. In January, Paternostro launched LegisLink as a local government relations firm focused on economic development, healthcare, and general business issues, at the state and federal levels. Responding to his new affiliation with the St. Tammany JPP, Dino states, “I am excited about the opportunity to serve the Northshore business groups in a professional capacity, especially given the growing population and business base,” he says. “This parish is very well positioned to do great things for the foreseeable future and I am thrilled to be part of the team as we work through public policy issues with stakeholders across the parish.” Joint Public Policy Committee Chairman Danny Schaus says he’s convinced Paternostro “will be able to carry out our plan of work with confidence.” In the next month, Paternostro will be meeting with the Northshore legislative delegation to strategize.