July 22, 2019
City & State New York
MARCY SAVAGE
PARTNER REID, MCNALLY & SAVAGE 11/01/1979 @LOBBYRMS UNIVERSITY AT ALBANY SINCE HER very first internship in
2000, Marcy Savage has consistently worked on health care issues for organizations like the American Cancer Society and the New York Public Interest Research Group. She now specializes in health care at the lobbying firm Reid, McNally & Savage. Despite the stigma associated with lobbying, Savage says her work is valuable to organizations with limited resources who otherwise might not have a presence in state government. “I think a lobbyist has to be and is important to the process of government, in terms of understanding that process, basically being able to be credible, bring information to very busy lawmakers and their staff,” she says. “Bridging a gap between what’s going on in the community – community needs, different organizational needs – we sort of try to be and provide that voice to them in Albany.” Earlier in her career, Savage advocated for a law that required smoke-free workplaces in New York City, which passed in 2002. Among her recent victories is a law eliminating religious exemptions from vaccines, which the state Legislature passed in June. “For a number of years, it’s been something we’ve been talking and educating and advocating for as good policy,” she says. “I truly believe – not only as a lobbyist, as a health care advocate, but also as a parent – I do actually think this was a very important public policy that I actually think will save and improve the lives of many.”
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