Deep Inside City Rep. Cortney Niland
A Look at Niland Contributors: Where they Live, Parts of Her District That Did not Give, and Republican and Gov. Rick Perry Connect the Dots
Many of you have written asking us to give you more information on El Paso City Representative Cortney Niland and Rep. Noe, so we will focus on Niland first.
Now, first a disclaimer. All political candidates and office holders receive contributions,good office holder and bad office holder receive contributions large and small. It only becomes a problem when office holders become puppets for their biggest contributors. Want an example, listen to Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2011 City Council Meeting: CLICK HERE and at the upper left put in 10/18/11.
Cortney Niland represents District 8 (see District 8 Map). She entered office this past May 2011. In this last election of May 2011, Cortney Niland had some of the biggest donations from some of El Paso's richest people, most of them prominent Republicans. To see her campaign reports, CLICK HERE.
She received many small donations also, but in comparison to her competitors who ran against her for District 8 City Representative, she dwarfed them in fundraising. Here are a list of her reported donors and how much they gave. I have put the zip code where this donor lives or offices (according to the finance report) so it will have in parenthesis “79922” or “(22)”. As a reference, here is the link to a zip code map for El Paso:
Citizens for Prosperity (22) - $3,000 in kind consulting contribution – treasurer is listed as Robert Hoy Jr. addressed at 201 Villa Serena Ct. in 79922 which is listed as the home of Hoy in a separate personal contribution. The El Paso Times reports ("PAC aids candidates; Group Back Lily, Niland for Council," April 16, 2011) that Citizens for Prosperity gave Citizens for Prosperity PAC “has raised $41,000 and given $24,782.48 of it to candidates Ann Morgan Lilly and Cortney Niland.”
The El Paso Times also states, “The Citizens for Prosperity PAC was formed three years ago and filed its first committee campaign finance report in January 2008. Records list El Paso businessman Robert Hoy as the treasurer. Among the PAC's main contributors are Woody Hunt, Robert Brown, Richard Castro, Steve DeGroat, Rick Francis, Paul Foster and Bill Sanders” (04/16/2011).
The Times also states, “Hoy, who gave $1,000 to the committee, also gave Niland and Lilly $1,000 each,” and “Woody Hunt, chief executive officer of Hunt Companies Inc., gave $10,000 to the committee in September and $1,000 to Niland's campaign in March”(04/16/2011).
Regarding Harald Hahn, the El Paso Times says “Harold Hahn, president of Rocky Mountain Mortgage Co., gave $10,000 to the committee and $1,000 to Niland's campaign in February,” and regarding Naomi Gonzalez, now Texas state representative, “The Citizens for Prosperity PAC also supported Naomi Gonzalez's unsuccessful 2008 campaign for the City Council, according to finance reports” (04/16/2011).
Citizens for Prosperity PAC (22) $2000 in-kind consulting
Citizens for Prosperity PAC (22) $2000 in-kind consulting
Aaron Chiv (22) $1500
Adam Frank (12) $1350
El Paso Association of Builders (05) $1,000
Harald Hahn (79935) $1000
Robert Wingo (12) $1000
Wiliam Lovelady (79853) $1,000
Robert Hoy (22) $1,000
Woody Hunt (13) PO Box $1000
El Paso Municipal Police Officers PAC $1000
Stanley Jobe (28) $1000
Randel O'Leary (15) $1000
Leonard Goodman III (22) $1,000
Stanley Jobe (28) $1000
Texas Association of
Realtors (78768 – Austin, TX) $1,000
Gereld Rubin (12) $1000
Adam Frank (12) $675 in kind office space
Jospeh Hansen (79936) $500
Adam & Dana Frank (79912) $500
Lawrence Francis (12) $500
John & Carroll Maxon (12) $500
Clinton Dean (02) $500
Britt Porter (22) $500
John Skidmore (22) $500
Irving Brown (12) $500
Robert Niland (02) $500
Suzanne Dipp (40 PO Box) $500
HNTB Holding (25) $500 --- Harvey K. Hammond Jr. CEO see OpenSecrets.org dossier on this group at http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?strID=C00386029
Susan Carlise (77478 – Sugerland TX) – 323.32 in-kind food
Tracy Yellen (79902) $250
Robert Kleberg (79922) $250
Julie & Felipe Perez (12) $250
Juan Escobar (22) $250
Keeli & Jay Jernigan (22) $250
David & Cindy Osborn (12) $250
Robert Bowling (24) $250
Mr. and Mrs. Rod Davenport $200
Scott Walker (32) $200
Clement & Amy Marcus (22) $200
Connie & Michael Smith (79912) $200
Thomas Yegge (36) $200
Dennis Healy (12) $200
Meyer Marcus (25) $200
Richard Rotwein (22) $200
Robort Ayoub (22) $200
Bryan Hall $200
Stephen Yegge (12) $200
Ashley Bowling (79912) $200
Larry Romero (03) $200
Eileen Karlsrutter (12) $150
Will Brown (22) $150
Stephanie & Kirk Roselund (12) $100
Sam Paxton (12) $100
Caroline Whitmore (22) $100
Sue Helsten (22) $100
Rita Baca (12) $50
John Wilbanks (12) $50
Alicia Gasca (14063 Fredonia, NY) - $50
A Look at the Forest of Contributions
Contributions to Niland are impressive, a total of $33,358, especially in comparison to her competitors. I have posted her competitors totals below:
District 8 Candidate Total Donations
Malcolm MacGregor III $545
Ernesto Villanueva $4610
Sergio Contreras $110
Niland received $28,748 more in contributions than the next candidate Ernesto Villanueva.
Many Parts of the Elephant
We've all heard the analogy of the blind men feeling the different parts of an elephant but not know what it is because they have not put all the parts together. Well, here's a look at the different pats of the Elephant and we'll let you put it together.
Most Contributions came from 79922 and 12
Although 79922 and 79912 are only the parts of the Westside of District 8, they make up the majority of her contributions (See El Paso Zip Code Map). There were no contributions from south of I-10, none from Segundo Barrio, Chihuahuita, Chamizal, Buena Vista, none.
Some notes on other donors. In the 79922 and 79913 zip code, Open Secret.org lists Woody Hunt as one of the largest political contributors in 2012 with their donations going to Rick Perry (see Open Secret Donations for the 79913 zip code).
Some notes on other donors. In the 79922 and 79913 zip code, Open Secret.org lists Woody Hunt as one of the largest political contributors in 2012 with their donations going to Rick Perry (see Open Secret Donations for the 79913 zip code).
79912 (see zip code map for El Paso)
Bob Wingo is listed as one of the largest contributors in the 79912 zip code with $2500 going to Rick Perry in 2012. Also among Niland's contributors in the 79912 zip code was Gerald Rubin of Helen of Troy. Both and his wife have given over $5,000 to Rick Perry in 2012.
Contribution from Outside: 79935 and 24 (See El Paso Zip Code Map)
Also, among Niland's biggest donors is Harold Hahn of the 79935 zip code who is listed was one of Ricky Perrry's biggest donors in 2012 with $4,800 going to Rick Perry this year. From the 79936 zip code (see El Paso Zip Code map), Niland received donations from Harold Hahn who we talk about above in Citizens for Prosperity. In 2012, Hahn has given $2500 to Rick Perry and I assume his wife and other family member have each given $2500 to Perry.
Niland received money from the Robert Bowling of Tropicana Homes although be it a small $250 donation. Bowling was one of the biggest political contributors in the 79924 zip code with $1,000 going to the Patrick Tiberi ( R). Other Bowling family members gave contributions to the National Association of Homebuilders ($5000), Francisco Conseco ( R )
79902 (See El Paso Zip Code Map)
In the 79902 zip code, Woody L. Hunt give $2500 to Rick Perry in 2012. Also in 79902, Lawrence Francis who give $500 to Niland and gave $2500 to Ricky Perry in 2012. Francis is associated with Bank of the West (El Paso). It also appears his wife or other related family member gave $2500 to Rick Perry (see largest contributions for the 79902 zip code on Opensecrets.org).
Problems with District 8's Boundaries (see District 8 Map)
We have previously discuss reservations about how District 8 was redrawn in 2000. Simply, it puts the poorest parts of El Paso (Chamizal, Segundo Barrio, Buena Vista, Calavera, Pacific Park) with the richest parts of El Paso. 79922 and 79912 can simply outspend and out vote any candidate in the poorer 79901, 79902, and 79903 areas of El Paso. Don't believe me. Here is a breakdown of donations from the zip codes in Cortney Niland's district (District 8):
79901 $0.00
79902 $1250
79903 $200
79905 $0.00
79912 $7675
79922 $13,000
79930 $0.00
79932 $0.00
As for her competing candidates, it's not worth going into where their contribution came from when they were dwarfed by Niland's contributors. However, you can see their disclosures by clicking here: District 8 Candidate Financial Disclosures. We hope you can see the big elephant in the room.
