As promised, a deeper look at who gave money to the Save the Tax. In addition to the obvious ones mentioned previously, a shocking number of outfits which receive public tax dollars gave to the $595,000 campaign. Then there are the merely wired into the Uptown Crowd dollars.
Start with the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority that gets $11 million a year in local hotel-motel tax revenue. The authority gave $5000 to save the tax.
More transit industry money. Digital Recorders gave $10,000 and is a contractor and supplier for CATS. Gfi Genfare $2,500 to the effort, provides fareboxes for buses. Gillig Corp. $10,000 builds buses. Herzog, provider of transit services and construction, gave $5,000.
Overall, about one-third of the money the Save the Tax campaign raised came from contractors and suppliers in the transit biz.
S&ME is a city contractor and gave $10,000. Rodgers Builders gave $6,000, built the $52 million ImaginOn complex for the county, original budget $25 million, the $32 million U.S. National Log Flume Ride, and a $60 million high school for CMS.
Developers who like the land-use component of the current transit plan also gave. Carocon gave $1,000 and builds apartments along the South Blvd. line. Crosland gave $6000 and it is the city of Charlotte’s favorite developer. Faison Enterprises, developer — $3600. Grubb Properties, another developer, gave $10,000. Harris Development Group supplied $3,300 worth of office space and equipment for the campaign.
Neighboring Concepts gave $1,200. According to its Web site, “Neighboring Concepts collaborated with Parsons Transportation Group and Sasaki Associates, Inc. in the planning and design of the Charlotte Area Transit System(CATS) South Corridor Light Rail Project.”
Firm principal Darrel J. Williams describes himself as, “a leader in the country’s Smart Growth movement as a means to develop and redevelop communities nationwide. Building upon his service as an elected official (Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners, December 1994 – December 2002).”
Pappas Properties, another developer who has received $12 million in city subsidies for development, $3,000. Bissell Companies another major developer with strong connections to UNCC gave $6,000. Vision Ventures is a South End developer that gave $1,000. Scaleybark Properties gave $6,000, developer along the South Blvd. line.
The various wired law firms kicked in. Holland & Knight — the city’s DC lobbyists, Helms Mullis Wicker, Moore & Van Allen, law firm for Pam Syfert’s son, gave $3,000, Robinson Bradshaw & Hinson gave $5,000 and is former Mayor Richard Vinroot’s law firm.
The inside money. National Gypsum gave $12,000, CEO Tom Nelson is the Charlotte Chamber Chairman. Dennis Rash, UNCC’s executive in residence, last seen hatching the plan to obscure the Chamber’s involvement in the UNCC transit study, gave $1,000. Cato Corp. gave $6,000 and its execs have long connections to UNCC, which very much wants the Northeast light rail line. The McAulay Firm gave $1,800 and is an exec search firm for Uptown. Steelfab, Uptown office tower builder, gave $6,000.
Alan Wulkan of Infraconsult gave back $250 of the $90,000 the campaign paid his firm.
Another $2,000 came from the Teamsters PAC, last seen giving $5,000 to the Jim Black legal defense fund. Matched by $2,000 from the home builders and developers PAC.
And how was the money spent?
$5,100 to Clear Channel.
$53,000 to Indievision for TV production.
Infraconsult got $90,000 for political consulting.
Metro Networks, $12,000 for radio ad placement.
R&R Partners got $90,000 for consulting.
$5,900 to Shout Sign of Salt Lake City for yard signs.
$11,000 to Time Warner, meaning that Time Warner just about broke even on the campaign after giving $12,000.
$25,000 for direct mail.
$2,600 to WBAV.
WBTV got $17,500 worth of TV ads.
WCCB almost $10,000.
WCNC $12,725.
WSOC $26,000.
$30,000 for billboards, and $5,500 for Web site development, $25,000 for polling.
In other words, over $200,000 to figure out what to say and about $400,000 to say it.
They should win 80-20 on Tuesday. And they are gonna lose.