# Patricia Reilly | Best in Government Affairs NY 2026 > Patricia Reilly of Patricia Reilly Consulting is a 2026 Best in Government Affairs New York honoree, recognized as Longtime Legends in Government Affairs. Canonical: https://www.uslege.ai/best-in-government-affairs/new-york/2026/patricia-reilly --- [Best in Government Affairs](/best-in-government-affairs)› [New York](/best-in-government-affairs/new-york)› [2026](/best-in-government-affairs/new-york#honorees)› [Longtime Legends in Government Affairs](/best-in-government-affairs/new-york/longtime-legends)› **Patricia Reilly** USLege · Best in Government Affairs · New York New York · 2026 Honoree ![Patricia Reilly, Principal Consultant and Lobbyist at Patricia Reilly Consulting — winner, Longtime Legends in Government Affairs, 2026 Best in Government Affairs New York](/assets/awards/ny-2026/patricia-reilly.jpg) Category [Longtime Legends in Government Affairs](/best-in-government-affairs/new-york/longtime-legends) Organization Patricia Reilly Consulting Title Principal Consultant and Lobbyist [02 · Longtime Legends in Government Affairs](/best-in-government-affairs/new-york/longtime-legends) # Patricia Reilly **Principal Consultant and Lobbyist**, Patricia Reilly Consulting > leads by example, and moves through this business with one hand reaching forward and one hand reaching back to pull someone up the ladder with her > > one nominator Ask Patricia M. Reilly to sum up more than 50 years in New York public service, and she'll tell you it comes down to three things: "Ombudsman, Customer Service Champion, and Mentor." By her own count, that's spanned 31 years in New York State, New York City, and Nassau County government at the commissioner and director level, 13 years in public affairs and lobbying at Bolton St. Johns, and, true to a career that started in the classroom, a decade teaching Government and Politics at St. John's University. Today she runs Patricia Reilly Consulting, focused on government affairs, lobbying, and political work that has touched more than 500 campaigns — from the presidential level down to town boards — over the past half-century. That reformer's streak runs through her whole career. Reilly counts herself among the architects of the 1990s "Reinvent DMV" effort, which built the agency's first Office of Customer Service and a Custom Plate Project that brought in $3.5 million in new state revenue in its first year alone — later studied as a case at Harvard's Kennedy School. She has also helped lead red light and school bus camera programs over the past two decades. Earlier, as Executive Director of the Nassau County Traffic and Parking Violations Agency, she inherited what the County Comptroller once called "the worst run agency in the worst run county in America" and more than doubled its revenue within four years. Newsday took notice, crediting her with moving "an agency tangled in confusion and inefficiency for decades" fully "into the information age." Reilly has also served as Vice Chair of the Albany International Airport Authority and of the New York State Democratic Party, and she has spent a decade each hosting and underwriting St. John's University events in Albany, serving on the NYS Mentoring Advisory Council, and serving on the board of Eleanor's Legacy. As one nominator put it, she "leads by example, and moves through this business with one hand reaching forward and one hand reaching back to pull someone up the ladder with her" — grit, humor, and, in the nominator's words, "a little razzle dazzle" included. "New York is a better place to be," the nominator wrote, "because of her and all of her hard work." Same category ## More _Longtime Legends in Government Affairs_ honorees. [![](/assets/awards/ny-2026/perry-ochacher.jpg) **Perry Ochacher**Willett Public Affairs](/best-in-government-affairs/new-york/2026/perry-m-ochacher)[![](/assets/awards/ny-2026/bill-ferris.jpg) **Bill Ferris**AARP New York ](/best-in-government-affairs/new-york/2026/bill-ferris)[![](/assets/awards/ny-2026/rick-ostroff.jpg) **Rick Ostroff**Ostroff Associates ](/best-in-government-affairs/new-york/2026/rick-ostroff)[![](/assets/awards/ny-2026/christine-rutigliano.jpg) **Christine Rutigliano**Roffe Group of Robinson+Cole ](/best-in-government-affairs/new-york/2026/christine-rutigliano)[![](/assets/awards/ny-2026/robert-megna.jpg) **Robert Megna**Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government ](/best-in-government-affairs/new-york/2026/robert-megna)[![](/assets/awards/ny-2026/ross-frommer.jpg) **Ross Frommer**Columbia University Irving Medical Center](/best-in-government-affairs/new-york/2026/ross-frommer) [All New York honorees](/best-in-government-affairs/new-york#honorees) [Longtime Legends in Government Affairs](/best-in-government-affairs/new-york/longtime-legends) [The September 16 ceremony](/best-in-government-affairs/new-york/ceremony) The platform behind the awards ## Track the New York Legislature the way _honorees do_. USLege covers the New York Legislature and New York City Council with live video, searchable transcripts, and cited AI answers, the same coverage Capitol Confidential Pro is built on. [Explore USLege New York](/states/new-york) [Built for lobbyists](/for/lobbyists)