On this Meet the Team edition of From the Lobby with Jack O’Donnell, host Joanna Pasceri sits down with Michael Greco, a Buffalo native and Senior Associate at O’Donnell & Associates whose career has spanned New York City Council races, Capitol Hill, and now client advocacy across healthcare, economic development, and capital projects. Greco reflects on the AP Government teacher who first sparked his interest in politics, the contrast between the macro view of campaigns and the granular constituent work inside Congressman Brian Higgins’ office, and why he believes legislative work is ultimately more rewarding at a moment when public faith in government is shaky. He also weighs in on a question Western New York demands an answer to: which is the better hockey town, Buffalo or Pittsburgh?
Joanna Pasceri
Hi, everyone. Thanks for joining us from the lobby with Jack O’Donnell for another Meet the Team. And this time we’re sitting down with someone who knows politics from Capitol Hill to New York City, Albany to Buffalo. He’s a senior associate at O’Donnell & Associates, and he’s helped shape New York City Council races and he’s worked inside Congress. Michael Greco understands how campaigns are won and how policy actually moves. Let’s bring him in. Michael, welcome to the lobby.
Michael Greco
Thanks for having me.
Joanna Pasceri
So great to have you here. You’re a Buffalo native and went to St. Joe’s here in Western New York before heading to Pitt for college. When did politics first grab your attention? Was there a moment when you thought, yeah, this is what I really want to do?
Michael Greco
I wouldn’t say there was one singular moment. I don’t really come from an overly political family, but at St. Joe’s I had a really good AP government teacher. I was a senior during the 2016 election, so obviously a lot of politics in the news and wasn’t too sure what I wanted to do. I was always interested in how government worked and how people get elected, and kind of the different philosophies between the two parties, and just kind of kept following it into college. I majored in political science and American history and kind of jumped in from there.
Joanna Pasceri
Teachers have a huge impact on a lot of lives.
Michael Greco
They do. They certainly do. What they teach, how you teach it is all, you know, makes a difference. And presenting it in a way that grabs your students’ attention is really important. And my AP gov teacher, Mr. Lyna, certainly did that for me.
Joanna Pasceri
Well, now here you are today. You’ve worked on city and state campaigns, especially in New York City, and then logged time in Congress with former Congressman Brian Higgins of Buffalo. So what surprised you most going from campaign mode to working inside the House?
Michael Greco
Sure. Campaign mode, I feel like you’re really looking at things on a macro level — how many voters, how they’re going to turn out, what issues really matter, fundraising, all those things. And once you’re actually working in a congressional office, it’s really more day to day, nailing down smaller details to get things done for constituents, whether it’s helping them navigate to the VA or ceremonial signings for different resolutions. It’s really kind of at a much more granular level, working with constituents in the district.
Joanna Pasceri
Do you have a preference of campaigns or doing actually legislative work?
Michael Greco
I found the legislative work to be a little bit more rewarding, and actually being able to get things done at a time when so many people don’t believe that government works or can get things done for them.
Joanna Pasceri
Do you think that is a common misconception?
Michael Greco
I do. I mean, I think especially as you get up higher to the state and federal level, people don’t have a ton of interaction with government. And when they do, it’s not the most enjoyable, whether it’s going to the DMV or having to sort out whatever issues with an agency or elected official. I do think there’s that misconception because it takes consensus to get things done, especially in Washington and Albany, and that consensus isn’t always there.
Joanna Pasceri
Right. Well, with Congressman Higgins, you handled legislative issues and helped people back home. How do lawmakers balance what’s best for their district with what their party or maybe even the country wants? Is that tougher than people realize?
Michael Greco
I think it is. There’s the political realities that especially in Congress, you have to go back to your district and get reelected every two years. So you need to be able to point to wins and things that you’ve gotten done to make the case that they should send you back to D.C. At the same time, we’ve seen things get more partisan and districts get less competitive. So there really is the pressure to kind of go with the flow and get on board with what your party’s presenting. So I do think it’s a challenge for lawmakers and something they certainly struggle with every year.
Joanna Pasceri
Well, looking back at your time working on campaigns and for a member of Congress, how does that experience help you better guide and advocate for our clients here at O’Donnell?
Michael Greco
I definitely think it’s somewhat comparable. Whether it’s on a campaign or working in a legislative office, it seems to be something new every day. And that’s also the case here at O’Donnell & Associates with our diverse set of clients. One minute you could be working on something healthcare related, and then on the next call, you’re working on economic development or capital. It’s just exciting working on different things every day and getting able to work with some really cool clients.
Joanna Pasceri
Is there anything that you’re doing now or that you’ve worked on that’s been particularly meaningful for you or that you’ve enjoyed working on?
Michael Greco
It’s been incredibly rewarding working with some of the nonprofits here in Buffalo, Horizon Endeavor, who are doing really good work in the community and making a tangible difference in people’s lives. That’s one of the great things about O’Donnell & Associates. We get to help empower these organizations. They’re out in the community doing really important things. We’ve worked pretty closely with the Port of Buffalo to secure some funding for them so that they can make some infrastructure upgrades to hopefully attract more tenants and more activity at the port to increase economic activity down in that area, which has been rewarding as well. Hoping to transform Buffalo’s post-industrial corridor into modern manufacturing and places for recreation, tourism and housing.
Joanna Pasceri
Well, let’s turn a little bit more personal. You played in the American Collegiate Hockey Association at Pitt, which tells us you’re competitive. How does that mindset show up in your work today? And I have to ask, better hockey town, Buffalo or Pittsburgh?
Michael Greco
I have to say Buffalo. We don’t have to get into who’s been more successful, but I would say Buffalo is the bigger hockey town, if you ask me. But yeah, I mean, I’ve always been competitive and I think that kind of bleeds over into our work today. We want to be the best advocates for our clients possible and deliver wins and make sure that we’re doing everything we can to achieve the outcome our client wants. And when you’re part of a team, you need to learn to work with other members of the team and realize that the whole is greater than the parts. That mindset of kind of being a good teammate and a leader certainly bleeds over into our work at O’Donnell & Associates.
Joanna Pasceri
Do you still play hockey now?
Michael Greco
I don’t really. I did a little bit when I first came back to Buffalo, but I have not played in a while. I certainly want to get back into it at some point, though.
Joanna Pasceri
Great. That’s wonderful. I think you mentioned you’re slowing it down to a little bit more golf these days, right?
Michael Greco
I am, yes. Golf is my retirement sport now that I’m done with hockey.
Joanna Pasceri
Got it. Well, Michael, senior associate at O’Donnell & Associates, great talking to you. Thanks for your time today.
Michael Greco
Great. Thanks, Joanna.
Joanna Pasceri
From St. Joe’s in Buffalo to Capitol Hill, Michael’s built a career around understanding how politics really works and how to make it work for people. Thanks for listening to this latest episode of Meet the Team. Stay tuned for more one-on-one conversations with the people behind the work at O’Donnell & Associates. If you’d like to learn more about our team and the expertise we bring to clients, visit our website at odonnellsolutions.com. Thanks for listening, everyone. We’ll be back soon from the lobby with Jack O’Donnell.
