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<h2> BIG DOLLARS FLOW FROM LOCAL DONORS </h2>
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<p class="pubDate">By Edward Russo<br>
The Register-Guard<br>
Published: Oct 26, 2008 08:47AM</p>
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<p class="BodyText-BodyText">Most
Lane County residents don’t know Lee Babb and Carlos Barrera, but the
two Eugene men play a key role in this year’s election.</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">Babb and Barrera are among the county’s
top campaign contributors. From the spring primary contest to this
fall’s general election, they have written big checks to their favorite
candidates.</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">In Lane County, Babb and Barrera are among
the 15 donors and their Eugene-Springfield area businesses that
collectively have given nearly $500,000 to local and state candidates
and causes this year, with more disclosure reports to be filed with the
state before the Nov. 4 election.</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">Timber company owner Aaron Jones of Eugene
leads the list. Like Jones, most of the big donors are Republicans and
supportive of conservative politicians and causes. Their most-chosen
recipients: Jim Torrey for Eugene mayor, Bobby Green for Lane County
Commissioner, and Lane County resident Rick Dancer for secretary of
state.</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">Babb and his sister-in-law, Paula,
co-owners of Delta Sand & Gravel, for example, have contributed
$33,000 to Torrey, a former Republican turned Independent Party member.
Torrey, a former two-term mayor, is in a runoff with Mayor Kitty
Piercy, a liberal Democrat, in the officially nonpartisan race. Jones,
the Babbs and Torrey’s 10 other top business donors collectively have
provided Torrey $134,899 so far this year, according to state campaign
reports.</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">But a couple of the biggest Lane County
private contributors this year are Democrats, including Barrera. They
support Piercy, along with fellow liberal Rob Handy in his battle
against moderate Democrat Green for the north Lane County commissioner
seat.</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">Nationwide, many citizens give one or two
small campaign contributions, while a relatively few donors give many
large ones. Top donors write big checks, $1,000, $5,000 or more at a
time.</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">With such large donations, questions arise
about the motivation and influence of such donors. Why are they so
generous and what do they hope to accomplish with their money? With the
growing expense of political campaigns, does the generosity of donors
translate to greater influence if the candidates are elected?</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">Contributors interviewed said they aren’t
seeking favors. They said their donations don’t make them more
influential than average residents.</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">“I don’t think that any politician in this
state is susceptible to overdue influence from campaign contributions,”
said Eugene businessman Randy Papé, president of the Papé Group
construction equipment dealership, who this year has given money to
Torrey, Green and Dancer. “I don’t think any politician is for sale.
It’s not as if a politician will say, ‘If you write a check to my
campaign, I will vote anyway you want.’ ”</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">Contested races for legislative and
statewide offices have been expensive for years, but now some local
races are costing hundreds of thousands of dollars.</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">The latest campaign disclosure reports
show that so far Piercy and Torrey have spent $779,990 between them,
with Green and Handy spending a combined $404,746. Much of Handy’s and
Piercy’s donations have come from scores of small donors, giving less
than $100.</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">However, any candidate welcomes large
contributions to help them with increasingly expensive television
advertising, brochures and other campaign expenses. That makes
fundraising more important to people seeking public office, said Ed
Weeks, a University of Oregon associate professor of planning, public
policy and management.</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">“There is no question that large
contributions are crucial to funding campaigns,” he said. “And with
those contributions comes influence.”</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">So far this year, Jones, whose sawmill is
just north of Eugene off Highway 99, has made $114,486 in political
contributions to local and state-level races and causes, by far the
most of any Lane County donor. That tally, like all other donation
amounts in this article, excludes donations to federal-­level
candidates.</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">Jones’ donations have gone to state and
local candidates — including $47,000 to Dancer, $5,000 to Torrey and
$4,000 to Green — plus Republican and other conservative political
action committees.</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">The 87-year old Jones “has a passion for
good government,” said Dale Riddle, vice president at Jones’ Seneca
Sawmill. Jones doesn’t try to influence candidates with his donations,
Riddle said, adding that Jones already is familiar with the politicians
and the issues because of his longtime political and charitable
involvements.</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">Jones’ donations are meant to “getting
like-minded people in office,” he said, “not getting them to change
their mind after they get elected.”</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">Like most voters, big donors look for
politically compatible candidates to support.</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">Deborah Noble, co-owner of West Wind
Forest Products in Eugene, for years has been a generous supporter of
local liberal candidates and causes.</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">“I feel a responsibility to be involved
with our political process,” said Noble, this year a major donor to
Handy and Piercy. “There are many compelling issues and there are
effective candidates who share my values.”</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">So far this election, Noble has given
$24,425 to candidates and ballot measures, including $7,268 to Piercy
and $9,107 in donations and loans to Handy.</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">“As a business owner and manager, I
understand it takes a certain level of funding for a successful
campaign,” she said.</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">Noble said she supports Piercy because she
is a better candidate than Torrey.</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">“I am keenly aware of wanting both a
successful business and of keeping Eugene a great place to live,” she
said. “Jim Torrey did not always make good business decisions.”</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">When Torrey was mayor, “Eugene gave
Glenwood to Springfield,” Noble said. “Just think of what an asset that
would be to our community today for business, industrial opportunities
and for that river­front resource.” </p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">Barrera, a retired electrical contractor,
this year has emerged as a major donor to liberal candidates.</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">Until recently, Barrera had been a
relatively small political donor. Two years ago, he gave $1,000 to
Mapleton businessman Bill Fleenor, who went on to defeat Lane County
Commissioner Anna Morrison.</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">But this year Barrera increased his giving
in a big way, giving $24,353 to Handy and $17,500 to Piercy. Barrera is
co-chairman of the Friendly Area Neighbors. He knows Handy, a River
Road neighborhood association leader.</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">“When Rob Handy declared that he was going
to run for county commissioner, I was just thrilled,” Barrera said.
“Normally, I am not thrilled about things like that, but I’ve worked
with Rob Handy and I’m very impressed by his personal character. He is
the kind of person who walks the talk, and his values are very attuned
to the community.”</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">Elected officials sometimes play decisive
roles in matters that are important to donors.</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">In July, the Eugene City Council rejected
a request by Delta Sand & Gravel to expand its gravel mining
operation onto adjacent farmland. Councilors split along conservative
vs. liberal lines, with Piercy breaking a 4-4 tie to deny the company’s
bid. A majority of the Lane County Board of Commissioners, including
Green, voted for the expansion.</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">The matter is now before the state Land
Use Board of Appeals, and there is a chance that the City Council and
mayor will take the request up again.</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">Lee Babb, who describes himself as
politically conservative, said he’s supporting Torrey.</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">“I would be supporting Jim Torrey even if
Kitty Piercy had voted for (the company’s expansion),” Babb said. “I’m
just very disappointed in the management of our city by the present
mayor.”</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">Torrey understands the needs of business
and what it takes to create living-wage jobs, he said. With Piercy “all
we get is talk, talk, talk,” Babb said. “It just seems like we are not
on the right path.” The Babbs have donated $33,000 to Torrey and
$16,000 to Green.</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">Conservative business people aren’t the
only ones who can benefit from having like-minded politicians in office.</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">Noble is one of the south Eugene residents
who urged the city to buy 40 acres of forest land in the Amazon
head­waters from Aurora developer Joe Green. Residents wanted the city
to preserve the property as open space. The 40 acres is about a third
of a mile from Noble’s home.</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">Piercy played a key role in decisions that
eventually led the city to buy the property three months ago for $1.6
million. Noble and other residents still want the city to acquire and
protect another nearby 26-acre forest parcel.</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">Noble said she did not contribute to the
mayor as a reward for the Green property acquisition. “I supported
Kitty long before the Joe Green property became a council issue,” she
said.</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">Papé is the president of Eugene-based Papé
Group, which, among other things, owns construction equipment dealers
and an aircraft fueling and maintenance company.</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">Papé and his firm have given $25,675 to
broad range of candidates and causes, including $3,000 to Green and
$1,000 to the Lane Community College bond measure campaign. Elected
officials don’t always vote the way their contributors want them to,
Papé said. A few years ago, Green voted against an expansion bid by
Eugene Sand & Gravel, which Papé supported.</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">But Papé, a former member of the state
Transportation Commission, has worked with Green on road issues, and
he’s supporting Green for re-election.</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">“Bobby has tremendous experience and is
extremely dedicated to his job as Lane County Commissioner,” Papé said.</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">In spite of his money, Pape said he
doesn’t expect to be treated differently than any other campaign
supporter.</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">When he was younger, Papé used to walk
door to door for then-Gov. Vic Atiyeh and other Republican candidates.</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">“That takes a lot more energy than writing
a check,” said Papé, 58. “I certainly don’t have any more influence
than a campaign worker bee.”</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">Weeks, the UO professor, said large
contributions do not necessarily result in specific favors from elected
officials. But large contributors often have political influence, he
said.</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">“The influence might not be a formal quid
pro quo on a specific issue, but a tacit understanding that the
candidate will act consistent with the interest of a large
contributor,” Weeks said. “In any case, the large contributor is
corrosive to the extent that it acts as a restraint on the incumbent’s
freedom of action. I would not want my representative to weigh the
public interest against the preference of a small set of large
contributors.”</p>
<p class="BodyText-BodyText">Senior editor Christian Wihtol contributed
to this report.</p>
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