A rapidly expanding business-consulting and lobbying firm that counts the state Senate s newly retired leader as a partner is gearing up to become a major player in Pennsylvania political circles with ties to a $432,000 campaign slush fund.
Joe Scarnati joined the new firm, Allegheny Strategy Partners, after retiring in December from a two-decade career in Harrisburg, most of which he spent in the upper echelon of power as Senate president pro tempore.
The Jefferson County Republican teamed up with partners Nick Varischetti, a former prosecutor and Pittsburgh lawyer, and Tommy Johnson, a former energy company lobbyist. The firm, launched in November by Johnson and Varischetti, has since added Megan Crompton, a veteran lobbyist and ex-Senate staffer from a politically connected family.