Koch Brothers Provide Significant Funding to Top Two Primary (Measure 90) Supporters

Submitted by info on Thu, 09/18/2014 - 17:36

Oregon Progressive Party Press Release: 9/16/2014

The Koch brothers, through their firm Koch Industries, are providing significant funding to a major supporter of Measure 90, the top two primary proposal.

The political committee of Associated Oregon Industries (AOI PAC, ID #10) reported on September 3 receiving a $10,000 contribution from Koch Industries.  The AOI PAC on September 2 reported giving a $50,000 contribution to Vote Yes on Measure 90 (ID #17001), making it at that time the largest financial backer of the measure.  It was later topped by the $60,000 contribution from the Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Administrators.

Koch Industries, at $25,000, is the third largest aggregate contributor to the AOI PAC, behind only Daimler Trucks LLC and ESCO Corp.

"The Koch brothers join a parade of corporations, corporate executives, and big-time financiers in bankrolling Measure 90," said Seth Woolley of the Pacific Green Party.  "They correctly perceive Measure 90 as a way for the corporations to control Oregon."

The largest contributors to the Yes on Measure 90 PAC are:

Amount
 Donor
 description
60,000 Oregon Assn Hospitals & Health Administrators medical care corporations
50,000 AOI Prosperity PAC various corporations
25,000 Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Assn hotels and restaurants
25,000 The Standard insurance company
25,000 Ron Tonkin Management car dealerships
20,000 Donald Tykeson cable TV executive
15,000 Greg Goodman parking & real estate executive
10,000 Henry Ritz Oregon Title Insurance executive, retired
10,000 Roderick Wendt forest products executive
10,000 Irving Levin Genesis Financial Solutions
10,000 Harsch Investment Group private investment company
10,000 Susan Schnitzer part owner, Schnitzer Steel Corp. and others
7,500 Edward Meletis Columbia Distributing Co. executive (beverages)
7,500 William Swindells retired chair of Willamette Industries (timber) and Oregon Steel Mills
7,500 Keith Barnes chair of Barnes Capital Management, private financier
7,000 Richard Parker, Jr. United Finance Co. executive

As of 30 days ago, the Vote Yes on Measure 90 Committee had raised $382,836.  This is in addition to the $623,830 raised and spent by the Every Oregon Voter Counts Committee (ID #16892), which paid circulators to collect the signatures to put Measure 90 on the ballot.  Virtually all of that money was also obtained from corporations and corporate executives (current or retired).

The Protect Our Vote Committee (ID #17013), the only committee dedicated to opposing Measure 9, had raised $20,604, as of 30 days ago.

Contacts:

Dan Meek
for Oregon Progressive Party		 press@meek.net 503-293-9021
Blair Bobier
for Pacific Green Party		 blairbobier@hotmail.com 541-752-3322
Seth Woolley
for Pacific Green Party		 seth@swoolley.org 503-953-3943
David Delk
for Alliance for Democracy		 davidafd@ymail.com 503-232-5495

For more information:
progparty.org/toptwo
noonmeasure90.org
saveoregonsdemocracy.org (regarding the essentially identical Measure 65 from 2008)