Opponents of Metro Transportation Measure Disclose First Wave of Contributions

Nike, Intel, The Standard and Daimler Trucks each ponied up $100,000 checks in an $800,000 haul.

Downtown Portland. (Henry Cromett)
By Nigel Jaquiss

Opponents of a $4 billion transportation measure referred to the November ballot by the Metro Council have disclosed their first big round of fundraising.

The campaign, called Stop the Metro Wage Tax, disclosed more than $800,000 in contributions on Sept. 25.

It hopes to block passage of a measure that would levy a payroll tax of up to 0.75% on companies that employ 25 or more workers to pay for a package of improvements, including the extension of the MAX to Tualatin and other projects in 17 transportation corridors in the region.

The biggest checks in opposition to the measure came from some of the region's biggest employers: Intel, Nike, The Standard and Daimler Trucks ($100,000 each); Comcast and Lithia Motors ($75,000 each); as well as companies with local headquarters, such as the Tillamook County Creamery Association ($50,000) and Cambia Health Solutions ($40,000). Not all the contributors are big corporations—the campaign also got $5,000 from the North Portland skin care company Mad Hippie, bringing its total raised to $838,000.

The campaign supporting the measure, Let's Get Moving, has raised $579,000, with its biggest contributions coming from Stacy and Witbeck, which specializes in light rail projects ($150,000), the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers ($100,000), and the engineering firm David Evans & Associates Inc. ($30,000).

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