PHILADELPHIA – John H. Estey, chief of staff to Gov. Rendell from 2003 to 2007 and now senior adviser to the governor, will leave government service on Feb. 15 to join Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP as a partner, leading a new Government Relations & Regulatory Affairs Practice that will serve as a strategic partner to business clients nationwide in their interactions with state government, Ballard Chairman Arthur Makadon announced today. Estey, who will be based in Ballard's Philadelphia office, concentrates his practice in the areas of general business and corporate law and government relations. He was a partner at the firm from January 2002 through January 2003 before joining Gov. Rendell's administration in Harrisburg.
"John Estey performed superbly for five years as my chief of staff and as senior adviser," Gov. Rendell said. "His departure is a loss to the Commonwealth. Ballard is fortunate to be able to welcome John back to the firm." Estey will continue to serve as chairman of the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority and as the governor's designee as chairman of the Delaware River Port Authority.
From 1997 to 1999, Estey served as deputy chief of staff when Rendell was mayor of Philadelphia. He was a law clerk to the Honorable Thomas N. O'Neill Jr. in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. As chief of staff to the governor, Estey oversaw and managed a budget of approximately $27.5 billion and the activities of 18 operating departments and more than 78,000 employees. He led Rendell Administration negotiating teams for four commonwealth budgets, and for several of the governor's major legislative initiatives.
Estey was the Governor's Office lead on initiatives in 2003 to balance the budget and eliminate a projected $2.4 billion budget deficit, placing the commonwealth on sound financial footing. He twice oversaw successful labor negotiations with the commonwealth labor unions and worked to implement the governor's management and productivity initiatives, which to date have cut more than $1 billion in costs and expenses from the commonwealth budget. Estey also worked with Rendell on important state issues in and around the City of Philadelphia. These included the budget and strategic direction of the Philadelphia School Reform Commission, the $700 million expansion of the Pennsylvania Convention Center, and a $400 million riverfront development in the City of Chester.
Since 2004, Estey has served as the governor's designee as chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Delaware River Port Authority, the bi-state agency that owns and manages four toll bridges and the PATCO rail line. In 2007, Rendell named Estey chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority, the Pennsylvania authority that owns and operates port facilities on the Delaware River in Philadelphia. The governor has asked Estey to pursue a significant public-private partnership port development project in Philadelphia, on PRPA property adjacent to the Philadelphia Navy Yard.
Estey holds a B.A. from Carleton College and a J.D., *** laude, from University of Pittsburgh School of Law, where he served on the Law Review.
Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP is an Am Law 100 firm with more than 500 lawyers in 11 offices in the United States. Ballard clients include Fortune 500 corporations, hospitals, universities, financial institutions, managed care organizations, defense contractors, utilities, public officials and private individuals. Ballard combines a broad scope of practice with strong local market knowledge in its various engagements.