Government Affairs

With over 35 years of experience in legal, legislative, and political matters, Steve counsels clients on complex transportation projects, advising TIDs, local governments, and private sector partners on project-related issues. He serves as the face of the relationship at the state and federal levels for numerous TIDs and helps local officials in multiple congressional districts within the same corridor build the necessary coalitions to support public policy projects.

Steve has led numerous efforts for local governments and statewide associations seeking funding, including successfully amending the state operating budget to divert federal funds for clients’ activities and serving as a part of a campaign team that secured voter approval for a transit tax levy. He also successfully led a complex legislative effort to move a client state regulator from one department of state government to another, which was no easy feat.

Tugend served as chairman of the Central Ohio Defense Group. Recently, this organization secured the largest federal earmark awarded to an Ohio project in the same year as the award. Steve has long advocated state defense institutions, taking a team of community leaders to Washington, D.C., to advocate expanding a military base, which grew by over 2,000 jobs.

Prior to joining Kegler Brown, Steve was already a passionate advocate for Ohio’s businesses, serving for six years as Vice President of Government Relations for the Columbus Chamber, where he was the voice of the business community in public policy matters. He continues to break down barriers to doing business with the government and stop legislation that would make the state a less friendly place for businesses.

On the political front, Steve’s experience includes advising a wide variety of political candidates, managing a candidate’s statewide race, founding a corporate political action committee, and serving on the transition team for a member of Congress.

Recently, Steve has become an advocate for affordable housing. He was the principal lobbyist to transform Ohio’s housing authority laws so that mixed-income and mixed-use housing developments could now be financed under Ohio law. Working to ensure low-income families could afford energy for their homes, his efforts resulted in a change in law that created a Low-Income Home Weatherization program that is widely recognized as the best program of this type in all 50 states.

He also advises non-profit organizations, including 501(c)(3) public charities, 501(c)(3) private foundations, 501(c)(4) civic associations, and 501(c)(6) trade associations regarding formation, membership, corporate governance, federal tax-exempt status, state-based registration requirements, and dissolution.

Leadership

Steve’s insights are highly sought after by statewide organizations. To that end, he collaborates with corporate leaders to advocate for a business-friendly environment in Ohio, serving as the chair of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce Political Action Committee, and, because of his passion for helping Ohio’s Black families build wealth through market-based solutions, Tugend chairs the Corporate Roundtable of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus Foundation.

Steve is working to strengthen the government affairs capacity of the SCG Legal international network of law firms by serving on the organization's board and chairing its Government Affairs Task Force.