Money is what powers Tim Eyman’s initiative factory and permits powerful right wing lobbies to collect hundreds of thousands of signatures in just a few short weeks to force public votes on schemes to wreck government. Eye on Money is Permanent Defense’s tool for tracking contributions and expenditures to harmful ballot measures.
The instruments of direct democracy — put into place a hundred years ago to give citizens a way to combat the influence of robber barons and wealthy tycoons — are now ironically being used by the wealthy and by powerful corporations to trick us into approving measures that benefit them at the expense of our common wealth and our quality of life. It’s a sorry state of affairs, but not one we have to accept.
Tim Eyman’s current sources of funding
The following chart shows where contributions to Tim Eyman’s campaign committee have been coming from since the new year began. This chart is updated monthly.
Last revised: September 2011
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Notes:
- Contributions from Kemper Freeman, Jr. and funds transferred from two of Tim Eyman’s other political committees (Help Us Help Taxpayers, plus another incarnation of Voters Want More Choices) constitute a whopping 94% of the funds raised for Initiative 1125.
- Dorothy Lind donated $80,000 to the I-1125 committee on behalf of the estate of Gerald E. Petersen on September 8th, 2011. PDC records list her as the estate’s executor.
- Of the remaining $76,000 or so, $10,000 came from the Puget Sound chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association. Another $11,000 came from individuals and businesses writing four-figure checks. That means the number of small-dollar donations is a very small fraction of the total raised.
Who are the wealthy benefactors?
The following chart shows Tim Eyman’s all-time top contributors, ranked by amount given. The chart reflects data from all committees controlled by Tim Eyman, plus committees set up to benefit Eyman’s schemes. This chart is updated every six months.
Last revised: July 2011
Notes:
| Benefactor | Total | Claim to fame |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Dunmire | $3,117,194 | One of the founders of Benchmark Plus, a Tacoma-based hedge fund. He is now retired. |
| Kemper Freeman, Jr. | $1,211,000 | Owner of The Bellevue Collection (Bellevue Square + Bellevue Place + Lincoln Square), well known developer. |
| Great Canadian Gaming | $236,293.99 | A shady foreign gambling conglomerate that owns four casinos in Washington and many more in Canada. |
| Michaels Development | $206,422 | Describes itself as a “marketing services, media partnership and advertising agency”. |
| Wes Lematta | $109,500 | Former chairman of Columbia Helicopters, now deceased (1927-2009). |
| British Petroleum (BP) | $100,000 | One of the world’s largest oil companies, owns a refinery at Cherry Point. Responsible for Deepwater Horizon disaster. |
| Tesoro | $100,000 | One of the world’s largest oil companies, owns a refinery plagued by safety violations in Anacortes. |
| Gaming Consultants | $75,200 | A company that designs proprietary card games for casinos. They would have benefited from passage of I-892. |
| Sam Adams Alliance | $75,000 | An out-of-state right wing group based in Chicago, Illinois |
| ConocoPhillips | $75,000 | One of the world’s largest oil companies, owns a refinery in Ferndale. |
