Untie Atlanta’s money
Today, the lead organization pushing for the transportation sales tax referendum shared its fundraising numbers. For about a year now, Citizens for Transportation Mobility has raised more than $6 million towards getting people to vote for a one percent sales tax for transportation projects.
From about last spring to last Monday, Citizens for Transportation Mobility, also known as Untie Atlanta, has raised a bit less than $6.5 million. The group filed its financial disclosure with the state today. The group’s chairman, Dave Stockert, says all types of people donated money.
“We’ve had a high number of small dollar contributions to the effort from citizens,” said Stockert. “We’ve also had a number of large contributions from a real who’s-who of the business community of Atlanta.”
Stockert is also CEO and President of Post Properties. The Atlanta-based apartment chain has 16 complexes in Metro Atlanta and complexes in 8 other large U-S cities. Stockert says he contributed $5,000 and Post contributed $100,000.
If voters approve the tax, the revenue will pay for transportation projects in 10 Metro Atlanta counties. Stockert says none of those projects will particularly benefit Post. He says the same can be said for many other businesses that contributed to Untie Atlanta.
“It’s not businesses that really have any particular interest in specific projects and things like that,” said Stockert. “Businesses that just see a need to address this congestion issue that everybody knows we’ve got.”
In all, Untie Atlanta received 685 contributions. Less than 20% of contributions came from road builders and engineering architects who would have an interest in winning contracts that would be funded by the sales tax.
Untie Atlanta has spent most of the money it’s raised on ads for the internet, cable, television and radio.
DISCLOSURE: Kevin Ross, a paid political consultant for Untie Atlanta and the Metro Atlanta Voter Education Network, is also the vice chair and legal counsel of the board of WABE’s parent organization… AETC
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