The political wing of PIANY strengthens your association’s credibility as a serious political force in New York state elections.

Donor Profile

John C. Parsons II, CIC, CPIA, AAI

Q. What is your insurance origin story?

I grew up involved in the day-to-day operations of the agency started by my grandfather. As a child, my dad would bring us in to help with addressing holiday mailings and assist with various other projects. In high school, I conducted property replacement cost inspections. I joined the agency full time in September 1986. That’s when I was supposed to shadow a personal-lines account manager for a few months to get trained; however, she went out on maternity leave early and I had to jump right into the fire. Over the years, I've done every job at the agency—which may be why I have so much hair left!

Q. What first sparked your interest in supporting the Agents Advocacy Coalition and its causes?

When I joined the board of PIA, I became aware of the PIANYPAC—which is the predecessor to the AAC. Serving on the Government Affairs Committee, I was very aware of the importance of having a voice in Albany, to protect our interests and our clients’ interests. Doing this effectively requires funding, so it became clear that supporting the AAC made sense. The ability to have reimbursements for meeting attendance directed to the political action committee was an easy way for me to provide support. By pooling the contributions of many individuals, a more effective representation can happen—compared to trying to do it alone.

Q. In your opinion, what are the most important issues or policies that the Agents Advocacy Coalition is helping to support?

Many legislative issues occur because constituents complain to their assemblymember or senator. Ideally, a bill will then be introduced to solve a particular issue. Unfortunately, the people who put together the legislation don’t always understand that unintended consequences may result. Working to educate them, and to minimize unintended consequences, has kept a lot of bad legislation from becoming law. It’s also important to modernize certain laws that made sense in the 1950s or 1960s but may no longer be relevant today. For example, we see many older laws that don't consider that information can now be found easily in a database, or that there may be more effective ways to reduce the issues addressed in the laws. The removal of requirements for Regulation 79 photo inspections and the anti-arson forms are perfect examples of fixes to outdated requirements that PIA pushed for for years, and finally got not only passed through the Legislature, but also signed by the governor.

Q. If you could give one piece of advice to potential new donors considering supporting the AAC, what would it be?

Don't think that a small contribution won’t make a difference. Every bit helps—and just like campaigns—small donations add up to make a big difference. You are protecting your industry, your future, and your clients’ futures.

Q. Lastly, can you give readers one book, movie, or show recommendation?

My current distraction from reality is Landman on Paramount+. It’s nice to get a break from thinking about insurance—even if it’s only for an hour a week!