ICI appoints longtime congressional aide to head political affairs

In the middle of the election season, the Investment Company Institute is making a change in its political office. The organization named George Shevlin as political affairs officer on Monday. In that role, Mr. Shevlin will manage the ICI political action committee and will lobby Congress and the Obama administration. Mr. Shevlin brings to ICI more than 20 years of experience as a congressional aide. He worked as the staff director on the House Administration Committee, where he dealt with campaign finance and election laws. He has served as executive director and staff director to the House Democratic Caucus and worked for three members of Congress — Rep. John Larson, D-Conn., Rep. Jay Johnson, D-Wash., and Rep. Doug Applegate, D-Ohio. “George's experience on Capitol Hill, coupled with the expertise and relationships he has built in Washington during the past two decades, will be tremendous assets to the Institute as we move forward with our public policy agenda,” ICI Government Affairs co-heads Don Auerbach and Dean Sackett said in a statement. Mr. Shevlin replaces Jim Hart, who is retiring after six years with ICI. The institute has made a somewhat counterintuitive hire with Mr. Shevlin, tapping a Democrat to head its public affairs shop at a time when Republicans are projected to maintain control of the House and perhaps take over the Senate. ICI has designed Mr. Shevlin's position to be nonpartisan. In addition, one of the priorities for the organization — stopping further money-market-fund reform — is gaining bipartisan support. ICI also is focusing on policy toward taxes, retirement savings, exchange traded funds and the use of commodities in mutual funds. “George brings a wealth of technical, political and policy knowledge to the position,” ICI President Paul Schott Stevens said in a statement. “We welcome him and are fortunate to have him join the ICI team.” The ICI PAC has raised $1.137 million through April 30 in the 2012 election cycle, which began in January 2011, and has made $1.267 million in contributions to political campaigns, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. The organization has given $194,000 to House Democrats, $416,500 to House Republicans, $79,000 to Senate Democrats and $81,000 to Senate Republicans. Historically, ICI's contributions have run 60% to 40% in favor of the incumbent party.