Big donors paid for Corbett's inaugural bash

HARRISBURG - Big gas. Big pharma. Big law firms. Big unions.

What do they have in common?

They were among the top corporate benefactors of Gov. Corbett's two-day inaugural bash, which began with a children's theater event Monday and culminated Tuesday evening with the inaugural ball.

All told, the deep-pocketed donors, whose ranks also included lobbyists, trade associations, tobacco companies, and energy suppliers, forked over an estimated $3.5 million to fund the festivities.

Though governors across the nation have scaled back or outright nixed inaugural festivities, Corbett - aside from canceling a parade - kept with the tradition of recent Pennsylvania governors by celebrating in relative style, and by having private donors pick up the check.

"This is how it's historically been done," Corbett spokeswoman Kirsten Page said. "No taxpayer dollars are spent; it's historically been paid for through corporate donations."

But wait, longtime Harrisburg citizen activist Eric Epstein said. Wasn't it Corbett who vowed on the campaign trail to change the culture in the Capitol? Epstein said an inauguration funded by big money from big interests does not send that message.

"How is this a change in culture?" Epstein, founder of the self-styled watchdog group RocktheCapital.com, asked as he eyed the list of donors. "These are the same people renting access to the governor. These are the same people sitting at the same table - the only thing that's changed is who is sitting at the head of the table."

The Corbett inaugural committee had for weeks declined The Inquirer's requests to provide a list of corporate sponsors, saying the information was not yet complete.

But the donors were listed on an inaugural program that was handed out to attendees at Tuesday night's $150-per-ticket ball.

Top-dollar givers, who donated $25,000 to $50,000 and were placed in the "diamond" category, included Range Resources, a major Texas natural gas driller; IBEW Local Union 98 and the Carpenters Union of Philadelphia; Peco Energy Co. and Exelon Generation; and charter-school operator Vahan Gureghian of Gladwyne.

Major pharmaceutical companies, other natural gas drillers, and law firms populated the $25,000 "platinum" category: GlaxoSmithKline, Chesapeake Energy, and the Cozen O'Connor law firm among them.

Scores of additional donors who gave $15,000 or less were listed in the "gold," "silver," and "bronze" categories. Not listed were the hundreds who paid $150 each for tickets to the ball.

Epstein argued that big donors don't give out of kindness. "This isn't about altruism," he said, "this is a nice way to 'pay-to-play.' "

Many of the businesses on the donor list, such as the law firms, utility companies, and drug manufacturers, have vied for state contracts or dealt with regulators in Harrisburg for decades. Among the newer names: natural gas interests from across the state and nation, enjoying the billion-dollar boom in drilling for gas in the Marcellus Shale formation.

Those interests stand to be affected by any number of policy initiatives and decisions by Corbett's administration - including whether the state will impose a tax or fee on extraction of natural gas, as other major drilling states have done. Corbett has said he opposes such a tax but is willing to consider fees.

The stakes are so high that the Marcellus Shale Coalition, which represents gas drillers, has awarded former Gov. Tom Ridge's consulting firm a $900,000 annual contract to act as a strategic adviser. Drillers also were among Corbett's leading campaign donors.

So was Gureghian, whose name appears on the "diamond" list of inaugural donors. Gureghian, a lawyer, runs a major charter school in Chester; Corbett has signaled support for state-funded vouchers to help low-income students transfer out of failing public schools and into private, parochial, or charter schools.

David Fillman, executive director of Pennsylvania's largest state employees union, said his organization expected nothing in return for its $50,000 donation to the inaugural events.

The union's bargaining agreement, along with those of other state workers, expires at the end of June.

Fillman said his union, AFSCME Council 13, had made it a custom to support incoming governors, including Ed Rendell and Ridge.

"It shouldn't be interpreted as anything but the fact that we represent a majority of employees that will fall under Gov. Corbett's jurisdiction," Fillman said of the donation. "He sets a lot of policy for a lot of programs, and it doesn't mean that we are going to agree or disagree with everything that he does, but we will be working closely with his administration."

John J. Dougherty, head of the electricians union in Philadelphia, said his union gave $50,000 because he likes the governor personally.

"I believe Gov. Corbett is a fair and honorable person and I believe under his administration, he will supply a level playing field for us to have the opportunity to do business," said Dougherty, who also keeps a hand in Philadelphia politics.

Page, Corbett's spokeswoman, said none of the donors would receive any special treatment. "Gov. Corbett has consistently said that anybody who donates will not get special favors," she said.

Pennsylvania inaugurals in recent years have not been done on the cheap. Rendell's first, in 2003, featured Chubby Checker and Sister Sledge, and cost about $3 million. Tickets went for $50 each.

In other cash-strapped states this year, incoming governors made frugality statements at their inaugurations. California's Jerry Brown served free hot dogs. In Texas, Rick Perry charged $8 a plate for a barbecue lunch. New York's Andrew Cuomo scrapped the ball altogether.

Corbett called off the parade for budgetary reasons. But did he consider downsizing the evening events?

"No," said Page, who was also Corbett's inaugural spokeswoman.

She said the inaugural committee used only Pennsylvania companies to stage the events and served only Pennsylvania-made foods, which helped "pump millions of dollars back into the economy."

For the ball, workers transformed an exhibition hall – which days earlier housed stands selling doughnuts and milk shakes at the annual Pennsylvania Farm Show - into a ballroom complete with carpeted lounges, a spacious dance floor, crystal chandeliers, and "floating" martini bars.

Mummers paraded through the black-tie crowd in their colorful finery. Attendees danced to three live bands (to be sure, none as famous as Bon Jovi, who played at Rendell's 2007 ball). Guests donned funny hats to pose in makeshift photo studios and dined on venison burgers from central Pennsylvania, fried perch sliders from the northwest, and flaming mushrooms from Chester County.

Leftovers - enough to feed 1,000 people - were shipped to a Harrisburg charity. Any remaining money is to be divided among several charities, including Big Brothers/Big Sisters.

Page said she did not yet know how much that sum would be.

Diamond Inaugural Benefactors: $25,000-$50,000

 David R. Fillman, executive director, AFSCME Council 13

Alpha Natural Resources

Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney P.C. (law firm)

Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. (natural gas driller)

Carpenters Union of Philadelphia & Vicinity

Comcast Corp.

Consol Energy (coal and gas producers)

Duquesne Light (electric utility)

Federated Investors Inc.

First Energy Corp. (electric utility)

Vahan and Danielle Gureghian (charter school operator)

IBEW Local Union 98

Meadows Standardbred Owners Association (trade group).

NiSource Gas Transmission & Storage (natural-gas pipelines)

Peco Energy Co. and Exelon Generation

Pennsylvania Harness Horsemen's Association

Peoples Natural Gas

PNC Financial Services Group Inc.

PPL Corp. (electric utility)

Range Resources (natural gas driller)

John W. Rich Jr. (coal executive)

Talisman Energy USA Inc. (natural gas operations)

UPMC

Platinum Inaugural Benefactors: $15,000-$25,000

(partial list)

 Altria Client Services Inc.

Amerihealth Inc.

AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals

AT&T

Atlas Energy Inc.

Blank Rome L.L.P. (law firm)

Chesapeake Energy (natural gas driller)

GlaxoSmithKline (drug manufacturer)

Highmark Inc.

Jones Day (law firm)

Lilly USA L.L.C. (drug manufacturer)

McNees, Wallace & Nurick L.L.C. (law firm)

Pepper Hamilton L.L.P. (law firm)

Pfizer (drug manufacturer)

Pugliese Associates (lobbyists)

Rosebud Mining Co.

S.R. Wojdak & Associates (lobbyists)

Sunoco Inc.

Trib Total Media

Unisys Corp.

U.S. Steel Corp.

Verizon Communications

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