Three Named to Staff of Pennsylvania Legislative Reapportionment Commission
At its May 26 organizational meeting, members of the Pennsylvania Legislative Reapportionment Commission approved the selection of three individuals who will occupy key positions with the Commission.
Robert L. ("Rob") Byer has been selected to serve as the Commission's Chief Legal Counsel. Mr. Byer is a partner in the Duane Morris law firm, which was founded in Philadelphia and now has offices across the country and around the world. Mr. Byer specializes in appellate litigation and practices principally out of the firm's Pittsburgh and Philadelphia offices. At earlier points in his career, he served as a Judge of both the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court and the Pennsylvania Court of Judicial Discipline and was a partner in two other major law firms. Mr. Byer was the founding chair of the Duane Morris appellate practice group and has argued or briefed more than 250 appeals in state and federal courts throughout the country. He has appeared frequently before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and was appointed by the Court to serve as its special counsel as it dealt with a range of issues relating to the suspension of a former Justice. He also is a past Chair of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's Appellate Court Procedural Rules Committee. Mr. Byer is knowledgeable with respect to all aspects of election law, has received the Legal Intelligencer's Lifetime Achievement Award, and is listed in Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers and a Life Member of the American Law Institute.
G. Reynolds ("Renny") Clark has been selected to serve as Executive Director of the Commission. In the first stage of his professional life, Mr. Clark crafted a 34-year career at Westinghouse, rising to become Executive Director of Corporate Services and Chair of the Westinghouse Foundation. In recognition of his exceptional performance, he was awarded the "Westinghouse Order of Merit," the corporation's highest honor. When the company transformed its business and moved its headquarters to New York City, then-Chancellor Mark Nordenberg recruited Mr. Clark to the Pitt leadership team, where he made distinctive contributions to the University's progress for the next fifteen years. At Pitt, he first served as Vice Chancellor for Community and Governmental Relations, which involved frequent interactions with the people and processes of state government. He later broadened the scope of his activities as the Chancellor's Chief of Staff, while retaining the position of Vice Chancellor for Community Relations and also continuing his work in Harrisburg. He served for two terms as the Mayor of Franklin Park, Pennsylvania, a municipality that he also served as Chief of its Volunteer Fire Department for eighteen years. More recently, Mr. Clark served for three years as interim Director of the state's Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority, which exercised fiscal oversight over the City of Pittsburgh. Among many other forms of ongoing public service, he continues to chair the board of the Regional Industrial Development Corporation of Southwestern Pennsylvania.
In commenting on these appointments, Commission Chair Mark A. Nordenberg said, "I have known Rob Byer and Renny Clark for many years and have had the privilege of working closely with each of them. They are professionals of exceptional ability, high character and unquestioned integrity. They will approach this important process in a fair and non-partisan way, with respect for the governing law and the interests of the people of Pennsylvania as their top priority."
Ann-Marie Sweeney, who serves as the Official Reporter of the Pennsylvania Senate, has been selected to serve as the Commission's stenographer. Earlier in her career, she worked as a freelance court reporter and also worked for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. She has worked for the Pennsylvania Senate since 1992. Remarkably, she earlier served as official stenographer for the Pennsylvania Legislative Reapportionment Commissions in 1991, 2001 and 2011, meaning that this is the fourth time she will have served in this role.
Commenting on her appointment, Commission Chair Nordenberg said, "The fact that Ms. Sweeney is the Official Reporter of the Pennsylvania Senate reflects the high levels of respect she has earned for her work in the Capitol. In addition, given her extraordinary record of service in the last three reapportionment processes, she will bring a wealth of institutional knowledge to the Commission. I have enjoyed getting to know her and look forward to working with, and learning from, her."