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 in the agency started by my grandfather. As a child, Dad would bring us in to help with addressing holiday mailings and other projects. Later, in high school, I did 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 is why I have so much hair left!

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

When I first joined the board of PIA, I became aware of the PIANYPAC—which is the predecessor to AAC—being able to have reimbursements for meeting attendance directed to the political action committee was an easy way to support it. Being on the Government Affairs Committee showed the importance of having a voice in Albany to protect our interests and our clients' interests. Unfortunately, to do this effectively requires funding—so it was pretty clear that supporting AAC made sense. 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 the Agents Advocacy Coalition is helping to support?

Many legislative issues happen because constituents complain to their assemblymember or senator, and a bill is introduced to solve a particular issue. Unfortunately, the folks who put together the legislation don’t always understand the unintended consequences that will result. Working to educate them to minimize the 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. Now, many old laws don’t consider that some information can be found easily in a database, or that there is a more effective way to reduce the issues addressed in the current law. Removing requirements for Regulation 79 photo inspections and anti-arson forms are perfect examples of fixes to outdated requirements that PIA pushed for years; and finally, got them not only passed through the Legislature, but signed by the governor.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 any contribution won’t make a difference. Every bit helps—and just like campaigns—many small donations 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 realityis Landman on Paramount+. It’s nice to get a break from thinking about insurance—even if only for an hour a week!