"Our lobbying team. . .are considered in almost every circle to be the most effective and most respected lobbying team in the state of Minnesota.  Their political influence and access to legislative offices is unparalleled."
Minnesota Legislative Action Plan, 1987 (Document #5060 1385)

In Minnesota, the tobacco industry has put in place a wide-ranging network of lobbyists and tobacco industry-created and financed front groups designed to oppose health-related initiatives at the state and local level. Not surprisingly, many tobacco industry lobbyists are former state legislators and state employees, allowing them inside access to legislators and the legislative and governmental decision making processes.

The following is the most recent listing of tobacco industry lobbyists and front groups in Minnesota.

Randy Asunma
Cathedral Hill Strategies
Lobbyist Registration #7928 (as of 3/13/01)
Asunma represents the tobacco industry front groups Minnesota Wholesale Marketers, Bulk Vending Group and the Minnesota Automatic Merchandising Council.  Tom Briant (see below) created the three organizations with support and funding from the tobacco industry. Asunma also lobbies for the Metropolitan Council, a public agency, along with Maryann Campo and Chuck Westin.

Thomas "Tom" Briant
Lobbyist Registration #7850 (as of 3/10/01)
Known as the tobacco industry's chameleon, Eden Prairie attorney Tom Briant creates and recreates "Astroturf" organizations depending on the issue.  A list of front groups he has created include the Minnesota Wholesale Marketers Association, the Minnesota Candy and Tobacco Association, the Coalition for Responsible Vending Sales, the Minnesota Coalition of Responsible Retailers, the Minnesota Wholesale Marketers, the Minnesota Automatic Merchandising Council, the Minnesota Tobacco Store Association and most recently, the Minnesota Accommodation Coalition. In March 2001, Briant created a national group to lobby on a wide array of tobacco issues, the National Association of Tobacco Outlets. In an interview with Tobacco Outlet Business (July/August 2001) Briant said his group would not only lobby against policies designed to limit youth access to children in retail settings, but would oppose increases in cigarette excise taxes and smoking bans in hospitality settings.

All of these organizations were created by Briant and funded or supported by the tobacco industry to blunt the efforts of local communities and health advocates.  The names of the organizations change to correspond with the issue the tobacco industry feels threatens by - vending machine regulation, increased tobacco taxes, tobacco retail regulation, community tobacco ordinances, etc.

Long viewed by many as trade associations, a leaked internal tobacco industry document that appeared in Mother Jones magazine (May/June 1996) made clear Briant's role on behalf of the tobacco industry. The document, written on the letterhead of the Minnesota Coalition of Responsible Retailers, updated the tobacco industry and its lobbyists on the legislative activities of Briant's organization. The magazine characterized the memo as the tobacco companies plan for a "phony grassroots efforts in concert with each other." 

Subsequent document releases as a result of Minnesota's lawsuit against the tobacco industry detailed the network of Briant organizations funded by the tobacco industry.  One such document made his work and his link to the tobacco industry crystal clear - it was a photo of Briant receiving an award from Brown and Williamson for his work on behalf of the tobacco industry (document #621900022).