Our Philadelphia

Senator, District 2

Tartaglione's Top Donors, 2001-2008

1	International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers	$22,800
2	AFSCME District Council 13	$20,000
3	1776 PAC	$19,900
4	Plumbers Union Local 690 EPAF	$18,750
5	LAWPAC	$15,500

About Tartaglione's Top Donors

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.

AFSCME District Council 13

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees District Council 13 represents roughly half of all state workers in Pennsylvania, and claims a total membership of 65,000 at all levels of government. As Pennsylvania struggled to close a projected $3 billion budget deficit in 2009, District Council 13 lobbied to limit layoffs and furloughs for its members, and David Fillman, its Executive Director, lamented in an 11/19/09 Inquirer article that the state was "balancing the budget on the backs of its workers," especially when the legislature had not cut its own staff in the process. Fillman has a point. Pennsylvania’s legislature has more staff than almost any other, and its 106% rate of growth from 1979 to 2003 outpaced almost every other state, according to the National Conference for State Legislatures. Backing up Fillman’s point is the fact that District Council 13 has contributed more than $2.8 million to Pennsylvania candidates since 2001.

1776 PAC

1776 PAC

Plumbers Union Local 690 EPAF

http://www.plumbers690.org/

LAWPAC

LAWPAC is the PAC of the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers’ Association. LAWPAC gave $3.7 million to Pennsylvania candidate from 2001-2008, and many of those giving to LAWPAC were trial lawyers opposed to limits on the right to sue. In a 9/30/01 Inquirer article, the Trial Lawyers’ lobbyist Mark Phenecie claimed that LAWPAC didn’t give to judicial candidates because, "We don't want to look like we are trying to influence a judicial election." Yet when a judicial candidate backed by State Sen. Vince Fumo was running for Superior Court in 1999, LAWPAC shipped a $29,000 contribution to Fumo's Committee for a Democratic Majority on Oct. 19. Then on Oct. 22, the Committee for a Democratic Majority shipped a $30,000 contribution to Schiller's campaign. Tracking these kinds of indirect contributions is especially difficult because contributions made in non-election years often don’t have to be disclosed until February of the following year, under Pennsylvania law. Discovering the Trial Lawyer’s entire legislative agenda, beyond defeating limits on lawsuits, is also difficult because Pennsylvania does not require lobbyists to disclose the exact number of the bills on which they have been lobbying.