Congressman John Faso (R-Kinderhook) announced Oct. 4 that John Billings will now serve as his Chief of Staff. Dain Pascocello was in that role previously. Faso brags that Billings is from nearby New Milford, Connecticut in his press release, and cites his previous Chief of Staff experience for representatives in New Hampshire and Michigan. A 2014 story in Roll Call credited him with turning around the office of Michigan Rep. Dan Benishek, who came in with the tea party in 2010. "Multiple sources chalked up Benishek improvements to his chief of staff, John Billings, who joined the office in 2013. Sources said Billings was able to focus the office and make time for campaigning and official duties," the Roll Call story says. When Benishek retired last year, Billings went to work for the Generic Pharmaceutical Association, "as a senior director for federal affairs, heading up the trade group’s House lobbying team," according to a Politico story from earlier this year. Billings was also previously a "public policy advocate," another title for a lobbyist, for the Food Marketing Institute, according to a 2010 Slate story.