Two years after a fund was formed to renovate the private quarters of the Governor's Mansion, the house has a new kitchen, a dining room mural, a nearly $5,000 washer and dryer, and a $126,000 party tent -- thanks to contributions from corporations and wealthy businessmen.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Two years after a fund was formed to renovate the private quarters of the Governor's Mansion, the house has a new kitchen, a dining room mural, a nearly $5,000 washer and dryer, and a $126,000 party tent -- thanks to contributions from corporations and wealthy businessmen.
Last year, energy companies were among the top donors to the Executive Mansion Renovation Fund, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization set up in the summer of 2007. Overall, the fund pulled in $425,484 in 2008, according to its IRS Form 990. That was down from $626,333 the year before.
The state uses General Services Division funds to pay for structural, mechanical and general upkeep costs at the Governor's Mansion, state officials said. Decorations and other improvements in the public areas are paid for by another 501(c)(3) organization, the Mansion Preservation Foundation.
The Executive Mansion Renovation Fund pays for improvements to the private quarters. In 2008, Oklahoma City-based Chesapeake Energy gave the biggest contribution to that fund, putting up $50,000.
Other top corporate donors included Centra Bank in Morgantown, which gave $33,334; Dynamic Energy in Beckley, which gave $25,000; and Pritchard Mining Co. Inc. in Charleston, which gave $25,000.
Denise Roth Barber, research director of the National Institute on Money in State Politics, said funds like this one could raise questions about the influence of donations on elected officials.
She said she wasn't familiar with the fund in West Virginia, but said the Institute has seen a rise in similar organizations, such as inaugural committees and "housekeeping accounts."
"What we're seeing is many avenues to get the attention of public officials outside of contributions directly to their campaign, which is the more obvious place for people to look," said Roth Barber, whose Institute tracks campaign contributions. "And whether or not there's influence remains to be seen, but certainly it doesn't look good."
Roth Barber also pointed out that as a 501(c)(3), the Executive Mansion Renovation Fund must report its donors to the IRS, but wasn't required to disclose its donors directly to the public -- making it more difficult for West Virginians to find out who contributed.
Gov. Joe Manchin's spokesman Matt Turner said contributions have no influence on the governor's decisions.
"I can tell you for sure that this governor doesn't operate that way, and never has," he said. "This is a very ethical administration, and that is not an issue at all."
When Manchin and his wife, Gayle, began renovating the home shortly after the governor took office in 2005, they used money left over from his first inauguration committee, Turner said.
The Executive Mansion Renovation Fund was set up to do work that falls "outside the purview" of the preservation foundation, Turner said.
Manchin often calls the mansion "the people's house" and is grateful to donors, Turner added.
Several contributors to the fund say they feel it's a worthwhile cause.
Matt Sheppard, senior director of corporate development at Chesapeake, said the company has donated millions of dollars to nonprofits and funded many scholarships to college students in West Virginia.
"We analyze each request and make our decision based on the merits of the request," he said in an e-mail to the Sunday Gazette-Mail. "We believe the refurbishment of the Governor's Mansion, which belongs to the people of West Virginia, was an important project and are proud to have contributed."
Another top donor, The Greenbrier owner Jim Justice, said his gift reflects his "passion for our state."
His former companies, Bluestone Coal Corp. and Bluestone Industries Inc., gave a combined $50,000 last year. (Justice has since sold those firms to a Russian company.)
"I think it's another chance to show off our state," Justice said. "I just want the best for West Virginia in all aspects."
Other listed contributors were:
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Two years after a fund was formed to renovate the private quarters of the Governor's Mansion, the house has a new kitchen, a dining room mural, a nearly $5,000 washer and dryer, and a $126,000 party tent -- thanks to contributions from corporations and wealthy businessmen.
Last year, energy companies were among the top donors to the Executive Mansion Renovation Fund, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization set up in the summer of 2007. Overall, the fund pulled in $425,484 in 2008, according to its IRS Form 990. That was down from $626,333 the year before.
The state uses General Services Division funds to pay for structural, mechanical and general upkeep costs at the Governor's Mansion, state officials said. Decorations and other improvements in the public areas are paid for by another 501(c)(3) organization, the Mansion Preservation Foundation.
The Executive Mansion Renovation Fund pays for improvements to the private quarters. In 2008, Oklahoma City-based Chesapeake Energy gave the biggest contribution to that fund, putting up $50,000.
Other top corporate donors included Centra Bank in Morgantown, which gave $33,334; Dynamic Energy in Beckley, which gave $25,000; and Pritchard Mining Co. Inc. in Charleston, which gave $25,000.
Denise Roth Barber, research director of the National Institute on Money in State Politics, said funds like this one could raise questions about the influence of donations on elected officials.
She said she wasn't familiar with the fund in West Virginia, but said the Institute has seen a rise in similar organizations, such as inaugural committees and "housekeeping accounts."
"What we're seeing is many avenues to get the attention of public officials outside of contributions directly to their campaign, which is the more obvious place for people to look," said Roth Barber, whose Institute tracks campaign contributions. "And whether or not there's influence remains to be seen, but certainly it doesn't look good."
Roth Barber also pointed out that as a 501(c)(3), the Executive Mansion Renovation Fund must report its donors to the IRS, but wasn't required to disclose its donors directly to the public -- making it more difficult for West Virginians to find out who contributed.
Gov. Joe Manchin's spokesman Matt Turner said contributions have no influence on the governor's decisions.
"I can tell you for sure that this governor doesn't operate that way, and never has," he said. "This is a very ethical administration, and that is not an issue at all."
When Manchin and his wife, Gayle, began renovating the home shortly after the governor took office in 2005, they used money left over from his first inauguration committee, Turner said.
The Executive Mansion Renovation Fund was set up to do work that falls "outside the purview" of the preservation foundation, Turner said.
Manchin often calls the mansion "the people's house" and is grateful to donors, Turner added.
Several contributors to the fund say they feel it's a worthwhile cause.
Matt Sheppard, senior director of corporate development at Chesapeake, said the company has donated millions of dollars to nonprofits and funded many scholarships to college students in West Virginia.
"We analyze each request and make our decision based on the merits of the request," he said in an e-mail to the Sunday Gazette-Mail. "We believe the refurbishment of the Governor's Mansion, which belongs to the people of West Virginia, was an important project and are proud to have contributed."
Another top donor, The Greenbrier owner Jim Justice, said his gift reflects his "passion for our state."
His former companies, Bluestone Coal Corp. and Bluestone Industries Inc., gave a combined $50,000 last year. (Justice has since sold those firms to a Russian company.)
"I think it's another chance to show off our state," Justice said. "I just want the best for West Virginia in all aspects."
Other listed contributors were:
-- Ralph L. Ballard III of Charleston: $25,000
-- Mepco LLC, a coal mining company in Morgantown: $20,000
-- Shane Coal Co. Inc. in Bluefield: $20,000
-- Timothy J. Grimmett of Charleston: $20,000
-- Dominion Foundation in Charleston: $10,000
-- Eastern Associated Coal Inc. in Charleston: $10,000
-- Intuit Inc., a San Diego software company that makes QuickBooks and TurboTax: $10,000. President and CEO Brad Smith is from West Virginia.
-- James C. Justice III of Beckley, who is Jim Justice's son: $10,000
-- Motorola FSS in Schaumburg, Ill.: $10,000
-- Severstal Wheeling Inc. in Wheeling: $10,000
-- Verizon in Folsom, Calif.: $10,000
-- Bluestone Energy Partners, an oil and gas company in Ellenboro: $1,000
Not all donors to the fund were reported if they were below the IRS's required disclosure threshold, said fund chairwoman Ellen Cappellanti.
The money helped pay C&T Design and Equipment, and Wiseman Construction to renovate the mansion's kitchen and porch, according to the fund's Form 990.
Work was also done on the security quarters, where state troopers live, she said.
The group also paid $72,759 to the Connecticut decorative painting company John Canning, for murals and painting in the dining room.
It spent $126,428 at A to Z Rentals & Sales to purchase and set up the mansion's party tent, and $4,850 at Lowe's for a washer and dryer.
A purchase of three TVs at Sodaros also is listed in the IRS form, but their price wasn't recorded.
The fund has mostly finished up what it set out to do, Cappellanti said.
"Right now, there are no other projects queued up," she said.
Reach Alison Knezevich at alis...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1240.
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