Portland’s Measure 26-156 – Campaign Contributors
Posted on April 28, 2014 by Janice Thompson
Tags, Consumers and Utility Customers, Legislative & Political, Portland Water, Sewer and Wastewater
As Oregon’s May 20 primary election approaches, CUB will be providing background info on Measure 26-156. That measure proposes to create a new utility district in Portland and end the control of the Portland City Council over local water, sewer, and stormwater management services. CUB’s board decided to be neutral on this specific proposal and focus on helping to separate fact from fiction.
Taking a look at campaign contributors** on both sides of a ballot measure can help identify players involved and provide insight into their positions.
The “yes” campaign’s top contributors are dominated by major commercial users of water services. Over 98 percent of the campaign’s fundraising, as reported through April 27, came from 17 donors giving $1,000 or more. The three top donors have given 73% of total contributions, and all three are major water customers. Siltronic Corporation, which makes silicon wafers, has given $80,000, Portland Water Bottling Company has given $75,000, and American Property Management (owner of many rental properties in Portland) has given $31,600. A total of $255,185 has been raised thus far with approximately $150,000 spent on early fundraising and signature gathering. See Table 1 for more details.
The “no” campaign has raised $181,780, as reported through April 27, with 94 percent of total contributions coming from 37 donors giving $1,000 or more. The top three donors have given 28 percent of total contributions and illustrate three key categories of opposition to Measure 26-156. Oregon AFSCME Council 75 has given $30,000 and is indicative of opposition from organized labor. Portland General Electric has given $10,550 and is indicative of opposition from private utilities. The Audubon Society of Portland has given $10,400 and is indicative of opposition from the environmental community. See Table 2 for more details.
Stay tuned for more background information on Measure 26-156! We want to hear from you if you have any questions about this proposal – you can get in touch by sending an email to CUB’s Consumer Advocate for Water and Sewer, Janice Thompson, at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
** Figures were taken from Orestar (Oregon Secretary of State’s online campaign finance records system) as of April 27, 2014.
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04/05/17 | 0 Comments | Portland’s Measure 26-156 – Campaign Contributors