The Jeff Gahan Money Machine, Part 20: Buying and selling a city? Our master list of 59 Gahan wheel-greasers is a pornographic potpourri of pay-to-play.
The ranks have swelled and the dollars mounted. Now, with voting under way and election day just around the corner, here's an update including the first three quarters of fundraising in 2019.
These 30 free-spending special interest donors top Jeff Gahan's 2019 pay-to-play campaign finance windfall of $150,000 (so far).
CFA-4 Follies: OMG, just look at Gahan's huge pile of special interest donor cash flowing to out-of-towners.
We've been plumbing the depths revealed by almost nine full years of the Committee to Elect Gahan's CFA-4 campaign finance reports, and I'm happy to announce that my gag reflex has been tamed by the sheer numbness of repetition -- and gin.
Let's repeat some numbers.
2011: $56,515
2012: $16,575
2013: $30,350
2014: $58,795
2015: $103,532
2016: $51,799
2017: $56,225
2018: $64,250
2019: $147,739 (first three quarters)
Total: $585,780
Yearly average: $65,086 and change.
Gahan began 2019 with $128,733 cash on hand; add $147,472 and the total amount at Dear Leader's disposal in 2019 (so far) comes to $276,472. He has spent $204,967 of this pile.
It boggles the mind. We're a city of 36,000, with a median household income circa $44,000. In 2015, Gahan received 3,527 votes to win re-election. If he gets that many again, he'll have spent $58 for each.
Without further introduction, here's the lowdown on Gahan's donors of $1,000+, with donor companies and their individual tithing components grouped as efficiently as possible.
Bear in mind that a huge number of these selfless mayoral supporters have scored no-bid design and engineering contracts during the past eight years. Others are city employees eager to retain their sinecures. Statistically the tiniest pool of Gahan voters are ordinary folks making small bets. Numerically, they're almost non-existent.
I've probably missed one or two, and remember, this entire list takes into account legal, recorded donations. Fish bowls, fruit baskets and Keeneland handshakes are not included.
(A dash - behind the donation indicates activity in 2019)
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THE REALLY BIG THREE:
JEFF GAHAN'S PLATINUM LEVEL DONORS
Jacobi, Toombs and Lanz, Jorge Lanz, BHL Properties, Ohio Valley Properties
Out of town -- no one finds more creative ways to give than Jorge Lanz
$41,425 -
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Clark Dietz and CD PAC
Out of town
$41,400 -
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HWC Engineering via Ed Jolliffe, Terry Baker, CRS Marketing and AB & E Consulting
Out of town
$41,000 -
→ $123,825 -- 21% of Gahan's total take since 2011
$10,000 GOLD LEVEL GAHAN DONORS (14)
Indiana Democratic Party
Out of town
$27,000 -
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John Neace (Neace Ventures)
New Albany resident
$22,500 -
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Beam, Longest and Neff
Out of town
$20,550 -
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United Consulting (including owners and employees)
Out of town
$18,800 -
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GM Development, Greg Martz
Out of Town
$18,500 -
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Stephen Triplett (AllTerrain Paving)
New Albany resident and business
$16,400 -
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HMB Professional Engineers (Brad Meyer, Christopher Stewart, Mitchell Green, Robert Dowler)
Out of town
$14,150 -
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Faegre Baker Daniels
Out of town
$13,750 -
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Denton Floyd Development, DF Property Holdings, Adam Denton
Out of town
M Fine. Reisz City Hall projects
$13,650 -
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Axis Architecture and Interiors
Out of Town
$13,400 -
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Cripe Architects via William H. Stinson, Citizens for Excellence in Government PAC
Out of town
$13,200 -
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Lemor Dowell, New Albany Heating & Cooling
New Albany resident and business
$12,850 -
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Frost Brown Todd
Out of town
$12,400 -
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Bennett’s Towing
New Albany business
$11,000 -
→ $228,150 -- 39% of Gahan's total take since 2011
$5,000 - $9,999 SILVER LEVEL GAHAN DONORS (13)
Dennis Wesley Co Inc (includes Chris Coyle/Coyle Chevrolet, a Wesley owner and confederate)
Out of town
$9,245 -
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Terry Ginkins, TA Ginkins Construction
New Albany resident and business
$9,025 -
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Edward and Dana Culpepper Cooper, Culpepper Group
Out of town
$8,600
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Lochmueller Group, Dean Boerste, Patricia Yount
Out of town
$7,750 -
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Wheeler’s Towing
New Albany business
$7,000
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American Structurepoint and DPBG Political Action Committee
Out of town
$6,400
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EchTech/Robert Lee/Bryan Slade
Out of town
$6,050 -
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Plumbers & Pipefitters Local #502
Out of town
$6,000 -
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Jeff Eastridge (CCE)
New Albany resident and business
$5,500
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David and Karen Wood
Out of town
$5,500
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(Paul) Wheatley Group
Out of town
$5,400 -
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(Stan) Robison Law Office
New Albany resident and business
$5,250
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Wayne Estopinol
Out of town
$5,000
→ $86,900 -- 15% of Gahan's total take since 2011
$1,000 - $4,999 FEEL SO GOOD 'BOUT THE BOSS LEVEL DONORS (43)
* denotes out of town donors
*Pro4mance Contracting Services $4,700 -
*Barnes & Thornburg $4,050 -
Amy Letke/Integrity HR $4,000 -
*Sanjay Patel/VS Engineering $3,750
*Martin S. Dezelan/Arthur Gallagher Co $3,650 -
*Adam U. Kahn $3,500
*Flaherty & Collins $3,250 -
David Duggins $3,146
Linda Moeller $3,107 -
*Governmental Appraisal Services $3,000
ProMedia $3,000 -
Byrne’s Garage $2,650 -
*Indiana Economic Growth PAC $2,500
Hubert Rockey/Dock Seafood $2,300
*Ice Miller $2,550 -
Edward J. Wilkinson $2,360 -
William Todd Bailey $2,250 -
*Jacob L. Brown (Marian Development) $2,000 -
*Int’l Brotherhood of Electrical Workers & PAC $2,000
*Indiana State Ironworkers Action Committee $2,000
Pam & Pat Kelley (Summit Springs) $2,200 -
Land Design Systems (Josh Williams) 2,000 -
*Bingham Greenebaum Doll $1,900
Sprigler Building/Commercial Development $1,900 -
Laborer’s Intl Union of New Albany $1,900
*TJB Consulting $1,850 -
Patricia Tarpley Harrison $1,810
Steve Bonifer $1,635 -
*GRW Engineers $1,600
*Nick Hancock/Heritage Engineering $1,550 -
*Jonathon “Wienzapple” Weinzapfel $1,400 -
Jerry Meyer (paving, construction) $1,330 -
Brian Gadd $1,300 -
Warren Nash $1,049
123 E. Market Property LLC $1,000 -
*JoAnn Ash $1,000 -
Cheryl Cotner Bailey $1,000
*Indiana Laborers District Council PAC $1,000 -
Terry Middleton's Karate & Kickboxing $1,000 -
*C. Rosio LLC $1,000 -
Specialty Earth Sciences $1,000
*Wessler Engineering $1,000
*Kelly Zullo $1,000
→ $91,987 -- 16% of Gahan's total take since 2011
These 73 donors/shared interest groupings have accounted for 90% (530,862) of Gahan's $585,670 total stash.
Of the 30 donors and donor shared interest groupings tithing $5,000 or more to Gahan since 2011, 22 are from out of town, and only 8 from inside city limits.
Collectively they account for 60% ($349,170) of the campaign finance dollars Gahan has collected in all, and I defy readers to point to a single one who has not benefited "contractually" from the joy of giving. Think of the millions of dollars that bounced to them to take back home, even as Gahan's minions composed yet another press release testifying to the innate genius of the humble veneer peddler.
The conclusion is clear.
We still need YOUR help documenting our ruling elite's #CultureOfCorruption. Tell me about your experiences with the Jeff Gahan Money Machine, and together we can pull back the curtain and reveal the truth behind the propaganda -- and make absolutely no mistake, because that's exactly what Gahanism is, pure propaganda masking pervasive sleaze. Confidentiality is assured. Write me. Thank you.
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