Governor Kate Brown says she wants campaign finance reform.
“No one should be able to buy a megaphone so big it drowns out every other voice,” Brown said last year. “It’s time to reopen conversations about reasonable campaign limits in Oregon.”
But Brown can safely advocate campaign finance reform now because if it is imposed it won’t be until after her next race and all the usual suspects of unions, attorneys, and hangers-on have already contributed to her re-election campaign, some in jaw-dropping amounts.
A review of the records of the Kate Brown Committee during 2015-2016 (below) reveals dozens of $10,000 and up contributors, so there’s obviously no shortage of people and organizations willing to shovel out cash to ensure Brown has a big megaphone.
The Kate Brown Committee has already received contributions during 2015-2016 totaling $1,646,337 and has a current balance of $1,123,196.
Some of those contributions look like payback, such as the $100,000 contribution from the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME) following the state’s generous contract agreement with the labor union in 2015 and Governor Brown’s support for big increases in the minimum wage.
Other union contributions are undoubtedly intended to keep Brown on the straight and narrow in terms of supporting union agendas.
Another $10,000-and-over contribution that looks like payback is one from the Motor Vehicle Software Corporation, a California-based creator of DMVdesk electronic vehicle registration (EVR) software. The company began a phased introduction of its title and registration solutions, as well as training program, in Oregon last year. This is part of the company’s plan to automate registration nationwide.
I don’t doubt that there are more questionable contributions.
If Brown sincerely believes no one should be able to buy a megaphone, she could start by limiting her own contributions now.
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Gov. Kate Brown’s $10,000-and-over contributors, listed on the Secretary of State’s website, are noted below:
Contributor/Payee | Amount | Aggregate Amount |
Laborers’ Political League | 75000 | 75000 |
Democratic Governors Association | 10544.83 | 10544.83 |
James Summerton | 10000 | 10000 |
Nike Inc. and Affiliates | 10000 | 10000 |
Deloitte Services LP | 10000 | 10000 |
AllCare Management Services, LLC | 10000 | 10000 |
Stoll, Stoll, Berne, Lokting &Shlachter, PC | 10000 | 10000 |
AFSCME | 100000 | 100000 |
Jon Stryker | 25000 | 25000 |
Planned Parenthood PAC of Oregon (4327) | 10000 | 10000 |
DaVita Total Renal Care Inc | 10000 | 10000 |
The Corson and Johnson Law Firm PC | 10000 | 10000 |
Democratic Governors Association | 10624.47 | 64920.75 |
John Koza | 10000 | 10000 |
Oregon School Employees Assoc. – Voice of Involved Classified Employees (2307) | 10000 | 10000 |
Global Companies LLC | 10000 | 10000 |
Josh Kardon | 10000 | 10000 |
Joshua Steiner | 10000 | 10000 |
Motor Vehicle Software Corporation | 10000 | 10000 |
Local 48 Electricians PAC (4572) | 10000 | 35000 |
Swanson, Thomas, Coon & Newton | 10000 | 10000 |
Steve Silberstein | 10000 | 10000 |
Pfizer, Inc. | 10000 | 10000 |
Timothy Quenelle | 10000 | 10000 |
Kafoury & McDougal | 10000 | 10000 |
Rosenthal Greene & Devlin PC | 10000 | 10000 |
The Barton Law Firm, P.C. | 10000 | 10000 |
jeffrey Bowersox | 10000 | 10000 |
Johnson, Johnson & Schaller, PC | 10000 | 10000 |
Erin Olson | 10000 | 12500 |
D’Amore Law Group, PC | 10000 | 10000 |
Tichenor & Dziuba LLP | 10000 | 10000 |
Miller & Wagner LLP | 10000 | 10000 |
Piucci Law | 10000 | 10000 |
Mark Bocci | 10000 | 10000 |
James Kelly | 10000 | 10000 |
Linda Eyerman | 10000 | 10000 |
Katherine Keane | 10000 | 10000 |
Joseph Hawes | 10000 | 12500 |
Charles Paulson | 10000 | 10000 |
Stan Amy | 20000 | 20000 |
Jane Paulson | 10000 | 12000 |
Teevin Brothers Land & Timber | 10000 | 10000 |
John Coletii | 10000 | 10000 |
Democratic Governors Association | 40000 | 54296.28 |
James Fuiten | 10000 | 10000 |
Willamette Dental Management Corp. | 10000 | 10000 |
Junki Yoshida | 10000 | 10000 |
Democratic Governors Association | 14296.28 | 14296.28 |
Robert Ball | 10000 | 10000 |
Oregon State Fire Fighters Council | 10000 | 10000 |
Barbara Lee | 10000 | 10000 |
Local 48 Electricians PAC (4572) | 25000 | 25000 |