Ex-Manchin Aide Heading to Lobbying Firm

Gov. Joe Manchin's just-departed deputy chief of staff is joining a new lobbying firm headed by the state Democratic Party chairman, The Associated Press reports.

Joe Martin, who left the administration Friday, is the first hire for LGCR Government Solutions LLC, an offshoot of the Lewis, Glasser, Casey & Rollins law firm.

Firm partner Nick Casey, the Manchin-appointed state party chairman, is LGCR's manager according to the paperwork filed Friday setting it up.

Martin recently asked the state Ethics Commission "for a 'revolving door' exemption that would allow him to look for a new job," The Charleston Gazette reported last month.

"Under state ethics law, public officials may not seek employment with any businesses or individuals that they had regulatory or policy making authority over for 12 months after leaving government service," that article explains.

LGCR "provides government relations solutions at the state, federal and local levels," and works with associations, grassroots groups and political action committees, it said in a release.