One computer crash and a two-part kitten feeding into the morning, I’m rushing to get something online in the next few minutes before I have to set up the coffee and get going on our walk.
As promised, here’s a list of total contributions from top local donors to the mayor’s campaign from the beginning of 2000 through the end of 2006. This is drawn from data downloaded from the Campaign Spending Commission web site, then cleaned up and compiled. If I’m not mistaken, the maximum amount that could be contibuted by one person during this period would be $12,000, that is $4,000 for each of the election cycles.
On this list, the top local contributor is Mrs. Patricia Yamamoto. Her husband, Russell Yamamoto, appears down the list at #23. The Yamamotos and their company, RMY Construction, were cited by the Campaign Spending Commission and paid a $2,500 fine for failing to file spending reports and for making two contributions in the name of a company employee.
(The table was supposed to appear below, but for some reason I’m having trouble getting it to display properly, so for the time being you may just have to click the above and view it separately.)
There are a lot more stories for these data to tell.Please feel free to contribute any background information, ideas on linkages, or political observations by leaving comments.
Tomorrow: Mainland contributors.
Right now, I’ve got to run. Or walk, to be more accurate.
What’s interesting to me is the *lack* of high powered contributors to the campaign’s top tier. No Bankoh. No FHB. No Outrigger. The upshot? I guess they don’t think its worth trying to influence the mayoral office.
What can be difficult to pin down is if any of these investments paid off.
Or to speculate on what would happen if a particular company decided to forgo its contributions. Would contracts continue, or would they drop off? Would it matter at all? Would it matter alot?
Either way, investment or protection, it’s buying influence as is appropriate according to the level of government. Contributors to state legislators buy favorable policy, at lower levels perhaps it’s just contracts.