Top Ten Contributors to the Last City Elections

The below information does not imply that campaign contributions are bribes or kickbacks, but simply shows relationships between contributions to 1993 city campaigns and city payments.

This is only a list of top contributions from individual sources. The practice of bundling, or amassing individual contributions from executives in a company or members of a family, is common and could increase considerably the potential effect on a politician.


Contributors (a little in)
campaign contributions 		(a little out)
contracts or payments from city
1. The Boeing Company
Yep. The big daddy of Seattle-area companies is also a sugar daddy of city campaigns. 		$2,800, spread evenly among incumbents and open seat contender Norward Brooks (who lost to Jan Drago). More than $1.5 million in contracts for energy-saving subsidies from City Light in '93 and '94, and smaller contracts with city Fire, Human Rights, and Administrative Services Departments.
2. International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) 77 PAC
One of the handful of unions on the top 80 contributors list. 		$2,450, to incumbents and open seat contender James Fearn (who lost to Jan Drago) Well, nothing! However, many unions do have indirect interests in city-approved development projects, for instance the Seattle Commons
(construction = work = union members = dues money).
3. Sabey PAC
Associated with Sabey Corporation, a real estate firm which owns the Post-Intelligencer building and various Boeing buildings (see #1 above). 		$2,450, mostly payments to mayor Rice and open seat contender Jan Drago. Sabey Corporation scored at least $136,000 in energy-saving subsidy contracts from City Light from '92 to '94
4. First Associates
A PAC associated with SeaFirst Bank. 		$2,200 spread among incumbents and both Norward Brooks and Jan Drago, who were duking it out for an open position. SeaFirst Bank had contracts for at least $461,000 in energy-saving subsidies from City Light in 1993. SeaFirst has also been a major advertiser on Ackerley billboards, many of which were in danger of city restrictions in 1993.
5. Donald Covey
Owner of Unico Properties, which manages downtown retail and office properties including One and Two Union Square and the IBM building. 		$2,100, with biggest contributions to mayor Rice and city attorney Mark Sidron, who was running unopposed. Unico Properties received at least $191,000
6. Washington Teamsters Legislative League
One more Union PAC. 		$2,100 spread among incumbents and to opponents Brooks and Drago, vying for the same open position. OK, we didn't find much. Just $312 in Parks and Police payments in 1993. Still... (see #2)
7. Martin Smith, Inc.
A real estate firm which manages about 75 properties locally, including the renovated Coliseum Theater and many buildings near Pioneer Square. 		$2,000 spread among incumbents. See also #9 below. Whew! Almost $2.7 million in city payments in '93 alone, chiefly for property management contracts for city offices in the Dexter-Horton, Alaska, and Artic buildings. The city in 1993 was also reportedly considering renting space in another Martin Smith managed building, the Pacific Building.
8. Herbert Bridge
of Ben Bridge Jeweler, whose flagship Downtown store sits adjacent to Westlake Park. 		$1,975 with biggest payments to Rice and Drago. Bridge's son Jonathon also pitched in $1,435, also with biggest outlays to Rice and Drago. We have found no city payments to Ben Bridge Jeweler, but a company manager has gone on record as favoring the reopening of Westlake Park to car traffic, approved by the city council in '94. Now wealthy jewel-buyers will have a more convenient limo ride to the store.
9. Kenneth Alhadeff
A former executive at defunct Longacres Race Track, Alhadeff became a principal at Martin Smith Real Estate (see #7 above) in 1993. 		$1,900 to incumbents and open seat contender Drago. Other members of the Alhadeff family gave a combined total of nearly $3,000 to mayor Rice alone. See #7 above.
10. Burlington Resources
A spinoff of Burlington Northern railroad, which manages resources on former BN land subsidies. 		$1,900 to incumbents and open seat contender Jan Drago. (subsidiary Burlington Environmental gave at least $1,750 to virtually the same candidates.) Approximately $430,000 worth of contracts are listed for Burlington Northern railroad company from '92, mostly for signal installations at Seattle crossings. In addition BN is interested in proposals to revamp Alaskan Way in order to connect its freightyard to the Port of Seattle, south of Downtown.



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Contents on this page were published in the February/March, 1995 edition of the Washington Free Press.
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