U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel’s campaign has retained the services of former GOP state Sen. Nick Spano’s lobbying firm Empire Strategic Planning, according to a filing on the Commission on Public Integrity’s website.

It’s not clear from the filing what Spano and company will lobby the state for on Engel’s behalf. However, it’s likely that the firm will focus on the upcoming redrawing of legislative boundaries, which must be completed by 2012.

According to the contract filed with the CPI, Empire Strategic Planning will be paid $5,000 a month, for a total of $60,000.

The contract took effect May 1 and runs through April 30 of next year, around the time that new districts for state and federal offices must be drawn.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo and good-government groups want an independent panel to redraw the lines. The Senate, over the objection of Democrats, approved a constitutional amendment to create and independent commission, but that would be in place until 2022.

In the past, lawmakers have redrawn the lines to the benefit of incumbents. Cuomo has vowed to veto any lines that are not drawn by an independent commission.

Other federal officeholders, like Rep. Joe Crowley, have hired lobbying firms to become involved in the redistrcting battle.

Bill Mahoney of the New York Public Interest Research Group said retaining influential lobbyists is another sign that the commission needs to be in place.

“The fact that one of the factors that goes into redrawing district lines is how much money incumbents are willing to spend on lobbyists is yet another sign that the system is in desperate need of reform,” he said.

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