Manuel A. Torres Nieves, MPA, CFE, RP, is POLITANK* CEO. He is a distinguished professional with a solid academic background and extensive experience in the public and legislative sectors.
Hon. Kenneth D. McClintock is the Senior Public Policy Advisor at POLITANK*, a government affairs law firm specializing in developing strategies to best represent private interests before governmental forums.
Manuel A. Torres Nieves, MPA, CFE, RP, is POLITANK* CEO. He is a distinguished professional with a solid academic background and extensive experience in the public and legislative sectors.
In 2000, he was appointed by Governor Pedro Rosselló González as a member of the Board of Directors of the State Insurance Fund and the Automobile Accident Compensation Administration (ACCA). From 2001 to 2004, he was Director of the Office of Advisors to the Delegation of the New Progressive Party in the Senate of Puerto Rico and Legislative Advisor to the Executive Director of the Municipality of San Juan.
On January 10, 2005, Manuel was elected Secretary of the Senate, being re-elected in 2009 and 2017, with appointments unanimously approved. He served as acting president of the Senate of Puerto Rico on several occasions and is the longest-serving Secretary of the Senate since the approval of the Constitution of Puerto Rico in 1952. During his tenure, he established the Continuing Legislative Education Program and the Electronic Voting System in the Senate.
In 2012, he was sworn in as the first Electoral Comptroller of Puerto Rico, where he developed educational programs and established the electronic filing system for income and expense reports, significantly increasing compliance and transparency in the oversight of political campaigns. In 2021, he founded his own consulting firm, Legisgov Consulting Group, offering advisory services on legislative, parliamentary, and governmental matters to various entities.
He is a member of the Distinguished Alumni Gallery of the Ana G. Méndez University System and author of two books: “Manual de Procedimiento Parlamentario en las Sesiones de la Asamblea Legislativa” (2020) and “La Historia de la Mujer en el Senado: su trayectoria y obra legislativa, 1937-2024” (2024), where he highlights the legacy of women in the Senate of Puerto Rico.
Mr. Martínez-Vázquez is a former Special Assistant and General Counsel to the President of the P.R. Telecommunications Regulatory Board. In 2003, Governor Sila Maria Calderon considered him for a nomination as a Board Member of the P.R. Telecommunications Regulatory Board ; he was also considered for the position of General Counsel of the University of Puerto Rico. Nevertheless, Mr. Martínez-Vázquez decided to accept a position in the private sector as Assistant Vice President, Legal and Regulatory Affairs of Centennial Puerto Rico License Corp. (now part of AT&T), the then-second largest telecommunication carrier in Puerto Rico. In that capacity, he provided support to, among others, the telecommunications operations, marketing, carrier relations groups and the cable television operations, managing and coordinating all interconnection contracting and issues with all telecommunication carriers and contractors. Furthermore, he dealt with all issues pertaining to human resources, employment-related visa and business immigration matters; lobbying and legislative affairs, as well as dealing with the FBI, DEA, and local law enforcement agencies on surveillance and wiretapping matters.
During the past 10 years, Mr. Martínez-Vázquez has worked together with the Legislature, the Governor and different administrative agencies in the development of several laws and in the advancement of multiple policies and regulations. He has also been instrumental on behalf of clients in the adoption of legislative initiatives and bills and has provided support for clients in issues regarding legislative and regulatory affairs. He represents clients such as General Motors in the evaluation and monitoring of proposed and pending legislation, attending public hearings, preparing position papers on proposed or pending bills and resolutions, and drafting legislation and amendments to pending legislation.
Mr. Martínez-Vázquez represents the interests of cable television, competing delivery technology and telecommunications companies before the Federal Communcations Commission, the P.R. Telecommunications Regulatory Board, and the courts. Since the enactment of the Federal Telecommunications Act of 1996 and the P.R. Telecommunications Act of 1996, he has represented both the P.R. Telecommunications Regulatory Board and telecommunication companies in the implementation of new local competition directives and regulations. He litigated successfully several landmark cases in the P.R. Court of Appeals and in the P.R. Supreme Court that have defined the evolution of telecommunications industry in Puerto Rico.
Mr. Martinez-Vazquez has also represented clients in antitrust and unfair trade practices before the Federal Trade Commission and the P.R. Justice Department.
Hon. Kenneth D. McClintock is the Senior Public Policy Advisor at POLITANK*, a government affairs law firm specializing in developing strategies to best represent private interests before governmental forums. A native of London, England and a graduate of the Tulane University School of Law, McClintock’s public service career has spanned over 40 years and included such influential positions as President of the Senate of Puerto Rico and Secretary of State, and has chaired two Commonwealth-wide Transition Committees.
Beginning in 1992, McClintock served during four terms as a member of the Senate of Puerto Rico, spanning three different Governors. During his last term, McClintock was elected by his peers to serve as Senate President. McClintock is the author of innumerable bills and over 100 laws, including Telecommunications Reform and much of our current energy-related legislation, such as those provisions regarding Net Metering and Wheeling. Much of this was accomplished due to his ability to build consensus across party lines.
During his tenure as a Senator, McClintock served as Chairman of the Council of State Governments (CSG), the first Hispanic and the youngest in the history of the 80-year-plus organization that represents the three branches of government of the United States’ States and Territories. He also served as the second President of the Parliamentary Conference of the Americas (COPA), which represents national and sub-national legislators throughout the Western Hemisphere.
In 2009, McClintock was appointed to serve as Secretary of State/Lieutenant Governor of Puerto Rico, a position which required him to serve as Acting Governor in numerous instances. In this role, he was responsible for the crafting and passage of ten measures to reorganize Puerto Rico’s Executive Branch. The Governor delegated to him the authority to adjudicate all Public Private Partnership Authority P3 contracts.
Nationally, McClintock is a member of the Democratic Party, currently serving his fifth 4-year term as a member of the Democratic National Committee. His involvement has led to his attendance at the past eleven Democratic National Conventions. He also co-chaired Hillary Clinton’s highly successful 2008 and 2016 primary campaigns in Puerto Rico. His national service includes participation as a delegate to the White House Conference on Children and Youth under President Nixon, an appointment by President Carter to the National Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and acting as a representative of the U.S. Department of State internationally under President Obama. He has lobbied the U.S. Congress for over 40 years on a myriad of issues affecting Puerto Rico.
The founder of the Córdova Congressional Internship Program, McClintock’s charitable work has included serving for nearly two decades on the Board of Directors of The Washington Center for Academic Internships and Scholarships, a DC-based non-profit organization. He also serves as a delegate to the Episcopal Church’s Diocesan Assembly in Puerto Rico.
“I’ve always said that good ideas have no color. We can do things without trampling on anyone and if we do, we can leave a legacy of respect”.
Hon. Kenneth D. Mcclintock
Senior Public Policy Advisor
“I’ve always said that good ideas have no color. We can do things without trampling on anyone and if we do, we can leave a legacy of respect”.
Hon. Kenneth D. Mcclintock
Senior Public Policy Advisor
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