K Street shop on lookout for new senior Democratic lobbyist

Monument Policy Group is in the market for a new senior Democratic lobbyist.

{mosads}Firm partner Tim Punke is leaving the K Street shop this fall to join Plum Creek Timber Co. as its new senior vice president of corporate affairs and public policy. Punke, a former chief international trade counsel under Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.), worked out of the firm’s Seattle office as well as in Washington.

Stewart Verdery, Monument’s partner and founder, congratulated Punke on the move to the timber giant and said he has been a “tremendous asset” to the firm. Punke starts at Plum Creek on Oct. 1, but Monument has already begun its search for his replacement.

“We are already talking to some good people. Tim will be with us for the next two months, so we don’t have to quite replace him yet,” Verdery told The Hill.

Verdery said Monument wants to keep up its strong Washington state practice and as well as help with its outreach with Senate Democrats after Punke’s departure.

“We plan on bolstering our Washington state practice with some additional folks,” Verdery said. “He worked on the Senate Democratic side, so we will be looking to augment that come this fall.”

Monument is registered to lobby for several big companies headquartered in the state of Washington, such as Boeing, Microsoft and Zillow.

The firm has earned almost $2 million in lobbying fees so this year, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.