Blondell Reynolds Brown
- City Hall
Room 581
Philadelphia, PA 19107-3290 - P: (215) 686-3438
- F: (215) 686-1926
- Reynolds Brown's Website
Council Member, At Large
| 1 | Laborers District Council | $20,000 |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers | $12,000 |
| 3 | Pennsylvanians for Better Leadership PAC | $10,000 |
| 4 | Cement Masons Local 592 | $8,500 |
| 5 | Kleinbard Bell & Brecker LLP | $6,500 |
About Reynolds Brown's Top Donors
Laborers District Council
Comprised of four different unions—the Laborers Local 332, 57, 135, and 413—the Laborers District Council is by far the biggest donor to political candidates in Philadelphia. The LDC was one of the top 5 donors to Mayor John F. Street in his career, according to a 11/13/03 article in the Inquirer, with $539,000 in contributions. In 2007, LDC originally backed State Rep. Dwight Evans in the race to succeed Street, then switched and gave $19,000 to Michael Nutter in the weeks before he defeated Republican Al Taubenberger. Candidates receiving the highest percentage of all their total contributions from the LDC include State Representatives John Myers and Cherelle Parker, for whom roughly one dollar in every four received between 2001-2008 was from the LDC. The LDC is led by Samuel Staten, Sr., who has also served on the state board that recommends lawyers for appointments to Philadelphia’s Common Pleas and Municipal Courts. Staten joined Joseph Ashdale, political director for IUPAT, in bidding for a license to open a Philadelphia casino in 2006. This raises the question of whether LDC itself has lobbied in support of expanding legalized gambling. LDC is not registered to lobby with the state, and Philadelphia does not require lobbyists to register.
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
Gov. Ed Rendell called IBEW “the most politically influential union around,” in an April 30, 2008 article in the Philadelphia City Paper. As long-time leader of the IBEW and former treasurer of the city Democratic Party, John Dougherty has been a kingmaker in city politics, and an endorsement from Dougherty is often followed by an infusion of campaign cash from other sources, and volunteers to help with getting out the vote. The extent to which Dougherty and IBEW depend upon campaign contributions to wield influence was dramatized in 2007 when Dougherty joined U.S. Rep. Chakah Fattah in filing a lawsuit alleging that Philadelphia did not have the power to limit campaign contributions to candidates in city elections. As part of their lawyers’ arguments in Nutter v. Dougherty, et al, it was alleged that the Pennsylvania General Assembly had intended to preempt any municipality in the state from making its own campaign finance laws. Dougherty and IBEW have also been strong supporters of expanding legalized gambling and building casinos in Philadelphia, in part because of the potential contracts for IBEW members.
Pennsylvanians for Better Leadership PAC
Pennsylvanians for Better Leadership PAC
Cement Masons Local 592
“Since 1916 all the major concrete in this area was done by members of our local,” says the website of Greater Philadelphia’s Cement Masons Local 592. “Power plants and high rises, bridges and highways, sidewalks and curbs are all our legacy.” This union’s national website elaborates, “Union members finish interior walls and ceilings of buildings and apply plaster on masonry, metal, and wire lath or gypsum. Cement masons are responsible for all concrete construction, including pouring and finishing of slabs, steps, wall tops, curbs and gutters, sidewalks, paving and other concrete construction.” The union has made more than $400,000 in campaign contributions in Pennsylvania since 2001. Union pressure for city government to create jobs and the sometimes intense back-and-forth between union officials and elected officials was highlighted by a November 15, 2002 Inquirer article about City Councilmen Frank DiCicco and James Kenney asking to be escorted from city council chambers by security after claiming they felt physically intimidated by Michael Fera, President of Local 592, and by a representative from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Both unions were in attendance to oppose a DiCicco bill that could have affected the construction of a new Ikea store in South Philadelphia.
Kleinbard Bell & Brecker LLP
http://www.kleinbard.com/
How To Catch A Lobbyist
Posted June 3, 2010Philadelphia is no longer the biggest city in the country that does not require lobbyists to register and report the issues on which they are lobbying. Last month, City Council passed a lobbyist registration bill that includes a number of model provisions, including a prohibition on lobbyists knowingly making false ...
Missing provisions in ethics legislation
Posted April 2, 2010On March 5, City Council Majority Leader Marian Tasco, along with Councilman Bill Green, introduced multifaceted ethics legislation that Green estimates addresses 80% of the recommendations set forth by the Mayor’s Task Force on Ethics and Campaign Finance Reform, discussed here yesterday in regards to lobbying regulation and oversight ...
The soda tax and lobbying reform
Posted April 1, 2010The issue of a soda tax in Philadelphia has quickly become a central dispute in city politics. Notably, citizens and the media have increasingly commented on the soda tax as an issue that will draw lobbyists to City Hall. The Inquirer, in a March 5 article by Patrick Kerkstra, confirmed ...
Hurry Down Sunshine
Posted Jan. 6, 2010Think of the scaffolding that has moved around the walls of City Hall in recent years as the building was cleaned. Every part of the exterior was cleaned, not just the face you see from the Convention Center, or the face that tourists see from the steps of the Art ...