Portland is a PR machine for light rail & streetcar

Here are Some Facts About Portland Oregon          

“It must always be remembered how cost-effectiveness works in the public sector: the cost IS the benefit.” - author unknown

Supporters of Light Rail - Portland 1998 Election

The state legislature passed legislation to finance building of a north-south light rail system in 1996. Citizens referred it to the voters as measure 32. Here is a list of big contributors ($5000 and over) who were in favor of building light rail. Their contributions totaled $980,000 . (All pro-rail contributions totaled over $1,156,340.) (see big contributor list below)

In 1998 rail was again on the ballot. Measure 26-74 was on the Nov. 3 ballot in Tri-Met's service district. It was for $475 million in property tax-backed bonds to build a 16.4-mile, $1.6 billion light-rail line from Clackamas Town Center through downtown Portland to North Portland's Kenton neighborhood.   

Download the 1998 C&E report

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1994 - The light rail supporters spent $1.1 million, the opponents spent about $110,000 and won.

NAME OF CONTRIBUTOR

AMOUNT

Connection

Portland General Electric

$52,500

Sells Electricity

Pacific Power

$52,500

Sells Electricity

International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers

$50,640

Wiring the system

Fred Meyer

$50.000

International Union of Operating Engineers

$44,710

U.S. Bancorp

$35,000

Sells bonds

First Interstate Bank

$30,000

Sells bonds

Siemens Duewag Corporation

$30,000

Makes rail car components

Oregon Public Employees Union

$27,400

Will operate trains

Legacy Health

$25,000

Portland Trail Blazers

$22,750

Local Union Legal Foundation

$20,000

Parsons, Brinckerhoff, Quade & Douglas

$20,000

Designs & builds rail lines

Bridge Structural, & Ornamental Iron Workers

$17,400

Construct the system

Sheet Metal Workers

$16,350

Construct the system

Bank of America

$15,000

Sells bonds

Intel Corporation

$15,000

Bricklayers & Allied Craftsmen

$14,000

Construct the system

LTK Engineering Services

$13,400

Engineering

BRW Inc.

$12,500

Middleton & Company

$12,000

Greenbriar Company

$10,000

Tom Walsh

$10,000

Principal in Construction Company

Zummer Grinnel Frasca Partnership

$10,000

Goldman Sachs & G.)

$10,000

Finance

Nike, Inc

$10,000

Kiewit Pacific

$10,000

Construction company

Morse Brothers

$10,000

Union Pacific Railroad

$10,000

Hanley Industrial properties

$10,000

Bombardiere Corporation

$10,000

Builds trains

City Center Parking

$10,000

Obie Outdoor Advertising

$10,000

OTAK Architects

$10,000

Standard Insurance

$10,000

U.S. West Communications

$10,000

United Infrastructure

$10,000

Amalgamated Transit Union

$,100

Cement Masons

$7,650

Builds the system

Hoffman Corporation

$7,500

Contractor

CH2M Hill

$6,000

Engineering

O'Brien Kreizberg

$5,600

James Furman & Co-

$5,000

Dames & Moore

$5,000

Providence Health Systems

$5,000

Slayden Construction

$5,000

Kaiser Permanente

$5,000

David Evans & Associates

$5,000

Engineering, consulting

Class PAC

$5,000

CFI Pro Services

$5,000

Davis, Wright, Tremaine

$5,000

Lawyers

NW Natural Gas Co-

$5,000

Gas for electricity

Zidell, Inc-

$5,000

Stoel, Rives, Boley, Jones, & Gray

$5,000

Lawyers

Yeon Properties

$5,000

Pacific Gas Transmission

$5,000

Gas for Electricity

AT & T Wireless

$5,000

Block 216 Partners

$5,000

Keylorp Management

$5,000

------------

Total, Big Money Contributions over $5,000

$884,800

Percentage of All Contributions

76.5%

Total, Contributions over $1,000

$980,640

Percentage of All Contributions

84.%

Total, All Contributions

$1,156,340

Source: Records for Oregonians for Roads and Rails and for Oregonians for Local Control at Secretary of State's Office, Elections Division, Salem, Oregon.

WhoWantsRail-text only-forHTML-2.wpd

1998 spending report

Supporters of Measure 26-74, which asks for voter approval of financing to build a south-north light-rail line, have raised $381,603 in their campaign in support of the new MAX line. The Yes on South/North committee has spent $98,260. A group opposing the rail line, called Atlas Oregon Political Action Committee, has raised $16,734

The Yes committee received more than half of its money from contributions of $25,000 apiece, much of it from companies that have been involved in construction or operations of Tri-Mets existing light-rail lines.

The largest came from Tom Walsh & Co. of Portland, a firm established by the former Tri-Met general manager. The Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership, a Portland architectural firm, contributed $25,100 to the campaign.

Contributions of $25,000 came from 200 Market Associates, a Portland real estate firm; the Hoffman Corp., a Portland construction firm; LTK Engineering Services of Blue Bell, Pa., a consulting firm; Parsons Brinkerhoff Quade & Douglas Inc.; an engineering consulting firm based in New York; Stoel Rives, a Portland law firm; Siemens Transportation Systems Inc. of Iselin N.J., a rail car manufacturer; Pacific Power; and Legacy Health System.

The Atlas Oregon Political Action Committee reported a contribution of $11,000 from real estate developer Robert Randall of Portland; $2,500 from investor Paul Farago of Portland; and $1,000 from businessman and activist Frank Eisenzimmer of Boring.

The ballot measure would provide $475 million to Tri-Met to help pay for construction of a 16-mile, $1.6 billion light-rail line running from Clackamas Town Center through downtown Portland to the Kenton District of North Portland., (Oregonian, Oct 6, 1998)

1994 Vancouver Election