With companies like Afterglow Beach, Blue Mountain Vineyards and Windsong Ranch contributing generously to Pierce County executive candidates, you might think the tourism industry has taken an interest in local politics.

You’d never know a major developer – Investco – contributed the money. But that may be the point.

State records show prominent builders and developers have sunk big bucks into the hotly contested county executive race. Sometimes, they’re doing it through affiliates with names that offer no clue where the money is coming from.

Aiding them is a loophole in state law that allows companies to circumvent campaign contribution limits.

Under state law, any single person or company is limited to contributing $800 to a Pierce County campaign. But some companies are able to get around that by contributing through their various affiliates, each with its own $800 limit. It's a loophole the Legislature tried and failed to address in 2007.

State records show many local companies have taken advantage of the loophole. But three stand out.

• Sumner-based Investco and its executives have given more than $18,000 to county executive candidates.

• Corliss Resources, a separate company owned by relatives of Mike Corliss, who owns Investco, has pitched in about $14,000.

• Companies and executives affiliated with Tacoma-based Tucci & Sons contractors have given more than $20,000.

Together, these three companies have contributed at least $52,550 to executive candidates (here’s an Excel spreadsheet with details).

The primary beneficiaries: candidates Shawn Bunney and Calvin Goings.

Bunney, a Lake Tapps Republican, has accepted more than $31,000 from companies and executives affiliated with those three firms. That includes money they donated to his 2006 County Council campaign that he apparently transferred to his executive’s campaign. I have an appointment with Bunney’s campaign this morning to confirm the 2006 contributions from these companies were transferred to his 2008 campaign.

Goings, a Puyallup Democrat, has received nearly $20,000 from the three companies and their executives.

The other county executive candidates have received little or no money from those companies. Tacoma Democrat Pat McCarthy has accepted $1,600 from Investco-related companies. Independent Mike Lonergan of Tacoma has received none.

Representatives of Investco and Tucci have confirmed the information in the spreadsheet. I’m still waiting to hear from Corliss Resources and from the executive candidates.

Look for more on this in tomorrow's News Tribune.

Meanwhile, Tucci & Sons President Michael F. Tucci issues this statement in response to questions:

David,

Thank you for sending me the fax version of the excel spreadsheet; the numbers appear to be correct. We are pleased to have the opportunity to comment on the article you intend to run about our families’ contributions to the Goings and Bunney campaigns for County Executive.

[More:]

In addition to its wide ranging philanthropic activities (i.e. Hunger Walk, Nativity House, etc.), the Tucci family, through its owners and affiliated companies, are proud to have been consistent and significant contributors to political campaigns and candidates over the years. This has been true at the local, state and national levels. We feel it is part of our civic responsibility to do all we can to assure that qualified political candidates have the financial resources to run their campaigns and inform the electorate of their policies and qualifications. Most often, we contribute to both candidates in a campaign without regard to political affiliation.

We hope this helps clarify our families’ position on this matter.

Michael F Tucci
President
Tucci and Sons, Inc.

Update: After checking some of Bunney's campaign documents, I've removed a few contributions and added a few others. My sort of final total of contributions from these companies: $50,500. I say "sort of" because there are contributions I suspect are affiliated with these companies but can't definitely prove yet.--Dave Wickert