Guerriero and Smith to Leave Gill Action Fund

Patrick Guerriero and Bill Smith, top officials at the Gill Action Fund, will leave the organization this summer to start their own political strategy firm.

As executive director and deputy director, respectively, Guerriero and Smith steered the Tim Gill-backed group over the past five years as it contributed to equality victories at the state level with a strategy marked by stealth and a willingness to work with Democrats and Republicans. The pair, both independents who started as Republicans, plan to apply the effective formula to a range of other issues, including the environment and immigration, at their new national political strategy firm, which is yet to be named.

The Washington Blade reports on an e-mail that Gill sent to supporters Wednesday.

"In 2005, I created the Gill Action Fund with the single goal of winning full equality for all Americans through smart political action," he wrote. "Patrick Guerriero and Bill Smith designed and executed a professional, disciplined political plan: focus on states, partner with generous political investors, work with both Republicans and Democrats, win lots of elections, hold elected officials accountable, and get clearly measurable results. With your help, they've done just that. Five years later, from New England to Iowa to Illinois and beyond, their work has made life better for many people and families."