Based on lists of donors Pageler and Wills say were at the fund-raiser, Pageler received contributions totaling $10,310 from the event, and Wills raised $7,910. Based on an analysis of those names compared to Compton's list of contributors, it appears he raised at least $10,710 that night.
THE LIST OF DONORS reads like a Who's Who of Vulcan's partners and others who have a financial stake in seeing the corporation's plans realized in South Lake Union. There is also considerable overlap with the signers of the letter in support of the streetcar. The donor lists include employees from developers Milliken, Howard S. Wright, and Touchstone Corporation; real estate companies Trammell Crow Company, Cushman & Wakefield, and Gregory Broderick Smith Real Estate; construction companies Skanska USA Building, Sellen Construction Company, and Lease Crutcher Lewis; architects Callison, Weber + Thompson, and LMN Architects; public affairs firms Bannecker & Associates, the Fearey Group, and TCG Communications; and engineering companies Parsons Brinckerhoff and Hart Crowser.
Vulcan
Vulcans vision of South Lake Union offers 24-hour opportunities for living, working, learning, and recreation. Above: Terry Street.
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Licata expresses concern about this fund-raising juggernaut. "What is corrupting about it is this: When you raise that much money from so few people, it limits your ability to ask pointed questions. You begin to put blinders on. It dulls the inquisitiveness of legislators once they become too dependent on the largesse of contributors."
Compton responds simply, "That's Nick's opinion." Pageler thinks Licata's analysis is faulty. "Most of [the donations] were not big checks," Pageler says. "They were mostly $100 checks. [These donors] don't see it as influence buying." Wills points out that any support she gets from Vulcan and its friends is balanced by other contributors. "I've had broad support from all sidesneighborhood activists, environmentalists, labor. It's important to listen to all sides because everybody needs to benefit" from changes to the area.
The Cascade Neighborhood Council's Lea doesn't believe all sides are competing on a level playing field. "Vulcan, the mayor, and their three buddies on the City Council are laying all the groundwork for the trolley, the substation, and the rezone. They will get it all done because [Vulcan] has this highly professional staff that make sure legislation takes place. We are unpaid. We have other jobs to do. We don't have the money, time, or expertise to battle that level of interest. There needs to be some kind of mechanism to level the playing field."
ghowland@seattleweekly.com
