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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (May 13, 2004)
Buying an Election A Developers back Nathanson, Denner, Slocum, Meisner with big bucks. BY ALAN PITTMAN ctually buying votes is illegal. But buying the expensive ads that get you votes is enshrined in the Constitution, courts have said. And in the hotly contested fight this election over who will control local government, developers are spending big bucks for votes. Developers who stand to cash in on urban sprawl, freeways and weak environmental regulations have pumped cash into Nancy Nathanson’s bid for mayor NATHANSON MEISNER and into a slate of similarly pro-sprawl council candi- dates. Development interests — including developers, builders, real estate speculators, construction compa- nies and local land and timber barons — contributed a total of $38,000 to Nathanson’s campaign as of May 9. Local big business and wealthy conservatives helped kick in another $24,000. In total Nathanson has report- ed $62,000 in campaign contributions. SLOCUM DENNER Conservative candidates have received large contributions from a few wealthy donors. Chamber PAC Nathanson’s biggest contributor is the Eugene Chamber of Commerce political action committee. The Chamber PAC donat- ed $3,618 directly to Nathanson and is also apparently supporting her campaign with tens of thousands of dollars more in survey and political consultant work. The Chamber PAC is itself funded large- ly by big development interests. The PAC has amassed $54,000 in contributions over the past two years, $36,000 of it from devel- opment interests. The Chamber of Commerce has 1,200 members, but its PAC is funded by only a small group of wealthy pro-sprawl and anti- environmental interests. Twenty-one donors who contributed $1,000 or more account for nearly nine out of 10 dollars that the PAC has raised. The average contribution to the PAC is nearly $600. The Papé family was the largest contrib- utor to the Chamber PAC, giving $5,050. The Papé Group sells heavy equipment to developers and road builders and owns the Sanipac garbage company. The Chambers family and associated companies contributed $3,500 to the Chamber of Commerce PAC. Carolyn Chambers owns Chambers Construction and Chambers Communications (KEZI). Gretchen Pierce and her companies gave the PAC $3,250. Pierce’s family profits from development and timber. Donors associated with Duncan & Brown (real estate analysis), the Giustina 10 MAY 13, 2004 family (land speculation and timber), Hamilton construction, Jerry’s Home Improvement, Michael Schwartz (M. Jacobs Furniture), and Charles Warren (Excalibur Cutlery) gave $3,000 each. The Giustinas contributed thousands more to the Chamber PAC indirectly. The Giustinas gave $3,000 to the Repeal Unfair Taxes PAC. The Unfair Taxes PAC then gave $4,466 to the Chamber PAC in in-kind and cash donations. Sand, gravel and construction companies were also big donors to the PAC. Delta gave $2,000, Wildish gave $1,300, Egge $1,000, and Eugene Sand & Gravel $1,000. Rexius Forest Products, landscaping supplier, gave $1,000. Developer and lumberman J.P. Hammer gave another $1,000. Pro-sprawl business interests were the other big funder of the Chamber PAC, con- tributing a total of $17,000. Developer Rob Bennett, owner of the Downtown Athletic Club, gave $2,000 and business lawyers at Gaydos Churnside gave $1,000. The local Pepsi bottling company gave another $1,000. Hynix Semiconductor, beneficiary of more than $40 million in city tax breaks and permits to destroy dozens of acres of wet- lands, also gave $1,000 to the Chamber PAC. Nathanson Donors After the Chamber PAC, the Giustina family and their companies were the next largest contributor to Nathanson. The Giustinas gave Nathanson a total of $3,600. The Wildish clan gave $3,000 and the Papés gave $2,875. The state’s leading pro-sprawl lobbying groups, the Homebuilders Association and Realtors PACs, each gave Nathanson $2,000. The Gonyea family, land speculators that sold Hynix property for its factory, gave Nathanson $1,050. Greg Demers, a land speculator hoping to cash in on the West Eugene Parkway, gave another $1,000. The McKay and Connor families of real estate investors gave $1,000 each. Triad Hospital, hoping to locate a facility in Eugene with taxpayer subsidies, gave another $1,000. PeaceHealth hospital CEO Alan Yordy gave Nathanson $500 through his registered busi- ness, The Infinity Group. Construction interests including Chambers, Hamilton, Rexius and the Delta, Egge and Eugene Sand & Gravel companies gave $1,000 each to Nathanson. Other con- servative business interests including Bennett, Nike board member John E. Jaqua, Gang of 13 Top Donors Account for Nearly Half of Pro-Sprawl Cash Giustina (land speculation and timber) Papé (Papé Group, heavy equipment, Sanipac) Chambers (construction and KEZI) Wildish (sand & gravel mining and construction) Hamilton Construction Company Gretchen Pierce (developer, timber) Duncan & Brown (real estate analysis) Charles Warren (Excalibur Cutlery) Delta Sand & Gravel (mining and construction) Oregon Homebuilders PAC Jerry’s Home Improvement Rob Bennett (developer, Downtown Athletic Club owner) Michael Schwartz (M. Jacobs Furniture) $10,550 $8,925 $5,000 $4,800 $4,000 $3,850 $3,750 $3,600 $3,250 $3,250 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 Source: EW analysis of C&E reports for May election and last two years of Chamber PAC donations. Totals combine donations of family members and companies associated with each special interest.
