29 Wealthy Donors Exceeded Contribution Limit in 2010
WDC complaints show some donors exceeded the annual limit by more than $6,000
Posted: November 16, 2011
Updated: November 21, 2011
Updated: November 28, 2011
Madison – Twenty-nine contributors to candidates for statewide office and the legislature exceeded the annual $10,000 limit on campaign contributions in 2010, according to complaints filed Wednesday by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign.
The Democracy Campaign based its complaints on a review of state campaign finance reports filed by candidates and political parties with the Government Accountability Board that disclose their fundraising and spending. Pages from the campaign finance reports identifying the contributions made by the contributors who exceeded the limit were submitted with the complaints. The donors who exceeded the $10,000 limit contributed between $10,200 and $16,150, the records showed (Table).
Topping the list was Robert P. Fettig, Lake Geneva, president of Tankcraft a metal fabricating company, who contributed $16,150, and Judith Couri, an executive with Couri Insurance Agency in Waukesha, who contributed $16,100.
Fettig and Couri were among 24 of the contributors who gave all or most of their contributions to Republican candidates for statewide office and the legislature. Five contributors gave all or most of their contributions to Democratic candidates for statewide office and the legislature. Many of these contributors represent powerful special interests including the insurance, construction, agriculture, manufacturing, finance and transportation industries. All but one contributor listed a Wisconsin address.
The Government Accountability Board, which enforces the state’s campaign finance, ethics and lobby laws, may fine those who violate the $10,000 annual contribution limit $500 plus triple the amount by which the limit was exceeded.
Table
Contributors Who Exceeded The Annual $10,000 Contribution Limit In 2010
| Contributor | City | Employer | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fettig, Robert P. | Lake Geneva, WI | Tankcraft Corp | $16,150 |
| Couri, Judith | Waukesha, WI | Couri Insurance Agency | $16,100 |
| Solberg, Trygve A. | Minocqua, WI | TA Solberg Co | $13,600 |
| Butler, John | Wausau, WI | Plastic Surgery Group | $13,500 |
| Klein, Dennis J. | Brookfield, WI | KBS Construction | $12,600 |
| Zore, Edward | River Hills, WI | Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance | $12,563 |
| Spector, Michael J. | Shorewood, WI | Quarles & Brady | $12,450 |
| Kunz, Vicky | La Crosse, WI | Kwik Trip | $12,425 |
| Kuehne, Carl | De Pere, WI | American Foods Group | $11,950 |
| Giuffre, Dominic J. | Milwaukee, WI | Giuffre Brothers Cranes | $11,850 |
| Gorman, Gary | Oregon, WI | Gorman & Co | $11,787.01 |
| Bahl, David | Waukesha, WI | Weldall Manufacturing | $11,580 |
| Lubar, Sheldon | River Hills, WI | Lubar & Co | $11,300 |
| Marotta, Marc | Mequon, WI | Foley & Lardner | $11,291.62 |
| Ostrom, Jim K. | De Pere, WI | Milksource | $11,250 |
| Kasten, Susan | Milwaukee, WI | Retired | $11,000 |
| Herro, David G. | Chicago, IL | Harris Associates | $11,000 |
| Rosenberg, Lucille | Milwaukee, WI | Psychiatrist | $10,900 |
| Kolb, Walter | Waukesha, WI | Audio Implements/GKC | $10,650 |
| Lange, Colleen | Fond du Lac, WI | Commonwealth Development Corp of America | $10,500 |
| Sonnentag, Rebecca | Marathon, WI | County Concrete | $10,500 |
| Roehl, Delores | Marshfield, WI | Roehl Transport | $10,500 |
| Burns, Bladen | Wauwatosa, WI | Fiduciary Management | $10,500 |
| Frank, Barbara | Mequon, WI | Retired | $10,500 |
| Ahlborn, Gene | Sayner, WI | Ahlborn Equipment | $10,500 |
| Uihlein, Margery H. | Mequon, WI | Retired | $10,350 |
| Hammes, Jon | Mequon, WI | Hammes Co | $10,350 |
| Van Dyke, Polly H. | Milwaukee, WI | Salomon Smith Barney | $10,200 |
| Roberts, Gary | Onalaska, WI | Morrison Creek Cranberry | $10,200 |
