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Maria D. Quiñones-Sánchez

Council Member, District 7

Quiñones-Sánchez's Top Donors, 2006-2008
1 Cintron Beverage $21,500
2 Laborers District Council $16,000
3 Pennsylvanians for Better Leadership PAC $10,000
4 Local 32BJ PA American Dream Fund $3,200
5 Edward Chacker $3,000

About Quiñones-Sánchez's Top Donors

Cintron Beverage

Philadelphia-based Cintron Beverage was founded in 2006 by Wes Wyatt, a commercial developer, and Joseph Roberts, Pastor of Holy Spirit Cathedral in Camden, NJ. Helped by Roberts’s experience in the beverage industry, the new company quickly tapped into existing distribution networks and is now sold in 38 U.S. states, South America, Canada, Asia, the Middle East, and throughout the Caribbean. Wyatt previously co-founded GreenCrest Construction in 1970, a Maryland-based company whose clients have included the National Institutes for Health and Washington Adventist Hospital. Records of Wyatt’s campaign contributions to Pennsylvania candidates also list him as an Executive at Wyatt Inc. According to its website, “Wyatt is a diversified subcontractor with a wealth of experience and expertise in many phases of commercial construction. We provide general contractors, architects and building owners with the following broad range of services for their projects.” These projects have included PNC Park, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Mt. Airy Resort & Casino, and the $3.1 billion Comcast building in Philadelphia, which is the city’s tallest building and the tallest building between New York and Chicago.

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.

Pennsylvanians for Better Leadership PAC

Pennsylvanians for Better Leadership PAC

Local 32BJ PA American Dream Fund

SEIU Local 32BJ PAC

http://www.seiu32bj.org/pa/PA_ADF.asp

Edward Chacker

Edward Chacker of Gay Chacker & Mittin

http://www.gaychackermittin.com/

How To Catch A Lobbyist

Posted June 3, 2010

Philadelphia 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 ...

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Missing provisions in ethics legislation

Posted April 2, 2010

On 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 ...

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The soda tax and lobbying reform

Posted April 1, 2010

The 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 ...

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Hurry Down Sunshine

Posted Jan. 6, 2010

Think 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 ...

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