Eugene Weekly : News : 10.05.06

Campaign Cash

Timber barons, corporations back Torrey against Walker.

BY ALAN PITTMAN

Timber barons, developers and corporations have stuffed Republican Jim Torrey's Senate campaign war chest with $301,046 in contributions through Sept. 22, according to contribution reports filed this week.

Democrat Vicki Walker reported $256,635 in cash and in-kind contributions for the same period, largely from labor unions.

The state's leading timber political action committee, the Oregon Forest Industries Council PAC, gave Torrey $25,000. Other timber industry donations came from Donna Woolley, Joseph Gonyea and Murphy Plywood, who each gave $1,000.

Torrey has downplayed his Republican ties in the largely Democratic state District 7. But his contribution reports show a close money link to his party. The state Republican PAC, the Leadership Fund, is Torrey's largest backer, with $68,606 in contributions. The Republican Senate leader, timber lobbyist Ted Ferrioli, gave Torrey another $22,500. The Leadership Fund and Ferrioli reported that their biggest contributors are timber barons, developers and corporations like tobacco giant Phillip Morris.

The Oregon Restaurant Association PAC gave Torrey $20,000. The PAC, among the state's most powerful, is against the minimum wage, bans on indoor smoking, reducing bar lottery profits to fund education and making establishments that serve drunks accountable for car accidents.

AG-PAC, which lobbies for more field burning, gravel mining and logging, gave Torrey $10,000.

Wildish Sand and Gravel, now pursuing a Measure 37 claim to develop next to Mount Pisgah and Buford Park, gave Torrey $3,500. Developer and media magnate Carolyn Chambers contributed $3,000, and Delta Construction gave $1,000. Other corporate money came from Monaco RV CEO Kay Toolson ($3,000), a leading local financier of President George Bush and Republicans. Olsson Industrial Electric in Eugene gave $2,500, and billboard company Meadow Outdoor Advertising of The Dalles gave Torrey, himself a retired billboard salesman, $2,350.

Most of Walker's money came from unions. The largely union-funded Senate Democratic Leadership Fund gave $100,826. Teachers' unions gave Walker some of her other largest contributions, including $31,258 from the Oregon Education Association, $2,468 from the American Federation of Teachers and $1,500 from the Eugene Education Association.

A large service employees union, SEIU, gave Walker $27,241. The public employee union AFSCME gave Walker $10,000. A nurses' union PAC gave $5,000, and another $3,000 came from a union for firefighters.

Progressive PACs also backed Walker, with $12,026 from Emily's List, a group dedicated to electing women who are pro-choice Democrats. The Oregon League of Conservation Voters gave $3,379, and the pro-Democrat Oregon Bus Project did $4,232 worth of canvassing.

Walker also had some backing from business interests, including $2,234 from the state beverage industry PAC, $2,000 from Oregon Community Credit Union CEO Gordon Hoerauf and contributions of $1,000 each from the state bankers' PAC, Nike, optometrists' PAC, Liberty Mutual insurance and Schnitzer Steel.

With the contest for the Senate seat dominated so far by TV sound bites and few specifics, campaign contributions may be voters' best guide for what's really behind the two candidates.

Torrey has called for expanded pre-school programs, children's health care, all-day kindergartens, more school testing and more state police, but he hasn't said specifically how he will pay for it. He is opposed to increasing state revenue and said he will instead "prioritize" existing funding to expand the programs. But Torrey hasn't said exactly which existing state services he would cut to fund the expensive new programs he proposes.

In this rhetoric of have your cake and eat it too, Torrey's strategy appears similar to that of Ron Saxton, the Republican candidate for governor. Saxton also talks about more school programs, state police and tax breaks for corporations and investors without saying specifically how he will pay for it.

Walker said at a Eugene City Club debate last week that she supports cutting corporate tax breaks to fund school, health and safety programs. "There isn't enough money," she said. Walker said she supports increasing the $10 minimum tax most of the state's corporations pay, repealing the corporate kicker tax break and cutting other tax breaks such as those for field burners. "We don't need to increase taxes; we just need to start bringing in the ones we keep giving away."

But Torrey opposes increasing corporate taxes or cutting tax breaks, including those for field burners. "We don't have to get any more money," he said. "We need a marriage of business and government in order to pay the bills."

Responding to questions from City Club members, Torrey differed from Walker on key issues. Torrey said he supported a state measure to limit abortion rights and opposed the state's assisted suicide initiative. He said he supported Republican President George Bush and his decision to invade Iraq. "I think it's made it safer from terrorism."