GamePolitics.com

The ESA announced yesterday that it has appointed Sally Jefferson (left) as its new VP of state government affairs, apparently reporting to senior VP of government affairs Ed Desmond. Of the move, Desmond said:

There are myriad challenges and opportunities – from constitutional concerns, tax incentive legislation, to the industry’s work empowering parents with tools and information to protect children – facing the computer and video game industry on the state and local level. Sally’s experience, relationships, and insight are exactly what our members expect and deserve to ensure the industry is well-represented and active.

Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell added:

The computer and video game industry is well-served by Sally’s professionalism and her high-level of knowledge and expertise. I’m confident that the ESA and its members will benefit from this recognition of her years of hard work.

According to the press release, Jefferson has two decades of government affairs experience. In addition to her time with the ESA, she has worked as a lobbyist the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and as a legislative aide on Capitol Hill. 

Remaining an open question is where the Jefferson appointment leaves ESA Senior VP and General Counsel Gail Markels. As GamePolitics reported two weeks ago, Markels’ future with the ESA is unclear. We also reported that the ESA’s office in New York City would be shut down as part of a consolidation. The ESA has neither confirmed nor denied that report.

In other ESA news, GameSpot reports that the ESA spent a record amount - $2.86 million - on lobbying efforts in 2007. The organization, which represents U.S. video game publishers, pursued a more focused agenda, however:

The spending may be increasing, but the list of topics at issue for the trade group is lobbying is actually shrinking. Subjects on which the organization has quit trying to influence lawmakers include online gambling, taxation of virtual property, and Internet privacy. Now all of the ESA’s chosen causes fall under headings of constitutional issues (free speech, game restriction laws), copyright law (piracy, intellectual property, and patent litigation), and trade concerns (countries to sanction over piracy concerns, free trade agreements, and regulatory concerns).

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 27th, 2008 at 6:33 am and is filed under People, Politics & Legislation, Video Game Industry/Economics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.