Jersey officials-turned-lobbyists ring the cash register

[rusty charly]

Five years ago, Kevin Hagan held a pretty good state government job, taking in $95,000 as deputy chief of staff to Gov. James E. McGreevey.

http://www.nj.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/news-6/1173591619133590.xml&coll=1

Today, Hagan is a lobbyist whose task is to persuade lawmakers and government officials to see things the way his clients do. It pays handsomely: Last year, Hagan's reported salary was just shy of a half-million dollars.

Hagan isn't the only former government official to cash in on government contacts to launch a lucrative lobbying career. And he's part of a growing legion of lobbyists who are making more money than ever in Trenton, according to a Star-Ledger analysis of 2006 lobbying reports. The review found:

Twenty-two lobbyists reported making at least $200,000 last year. Only seven made that much in 1999.

Three dozen lobbyists topped the $175,000 salary New Jersey sets aside for its governor (the current job holder, multimillionaire Jon Corzine, accepts only $1 a year). At least 40 reported higher salaries than the $164,250 paid to the state's Supreme Court chief justice.