Phil Henderson
County Commissioner
Former Builder
Tim Knopp
State Senator
Vice President
Central Oregon Builders Association
Jack Zika
State Representative
President
Central Oregon Association of Realtors
Chris Piper
a hand-picked
Bend City Councilor
Follow the Money
When elected offices are captured by special interests, you have to ask... who are they working for?
Compared to other states like Washington and California, Oregon has been able to preserve its natural beauty, making it a desirable place to live.
His build whatever, wherever approach makes current Deschutes County Commissioner Phil Henderson a favorite of real estate speculators. From his prior career building houses, Henderson knows taxpayers foot the bill for new roads and infrastructure. We'll all suffer from traffic congestion caused by the sprawl he wants across the county.
Did you know you can "advocate" before the state and not have to register as a lobbyist? So long as you structure it the right way!
While he is your part-time representative, Tim Knopp works full-time for the Central Oregon Builders Association in his role as Executive Vice President. Its mission is to represent the building industry's interests before the government - don't call it "lobbying," it's "government affairs." (*wink*) In 2018, this job was worth a cool $118,001 in compensation to Knopp from COBA. Is Knopp representing your interests or his employer’s interests in Salem?
After installing Jack Zika as its President in December 2019, Central Oregon Association of Realtors bragged that it was “fortunate to have such an influential person serving” in that role. That influence goes both ways as Zika’s campaign reaped over $100,000 from the Oregon Realtors PAC and others since 2018. Oregon Realtors admit that their goal is to “support Realtor friendly candidates advocating for private property rights.” Is Zika representing you or the special interests who fund his campaigns.
Chris Piper was appointed to Bend City Council in a shocking vote. He had never been to a council meeting before being sworn in and even missed his formal interview, doing it over the phone from Las Vegas. A few days after the vote, public records requests from local reporters revealed a chain of text messages between the mayor and Karna Gustafson, lobbyist for the Central Oregon Builders Association, and Katy Brooks, head of Bend Chamber. A backroom deal sealed it. Now, those organizations account for nearly 90 percent of his campaign cash!
But, wait! There's more...
Tim Knopp also controls the Central Oregon Builders Association PAC as a "candidate controlled committee"! (That's not normal!)
How much money are we talking?
Central Oregon Small Business PAC
Tim Knopp's day job $ 499,552
68
Since 2016- Tim Knopp
$87,197 - Chris Piper
$15,000 - Jack Zika
$3,000
Popular
Oregon Realtors Political Action Committee
One of the biggest spenders statewide $ 2,185,382
98
Since 2016- Jack Zika
$130,320 - Tim Knopp
$112,000 - Knute Buehler
$100,000 - Cheri Helt
$75,500
Hot!
Central Oregon Association of Realtors PAC
Where Jack Zika is president $ 447,897
17
Since 2016- Justin Livingston
$83,336 - Chris Piper
$69,195 - Phil Henderson
$16,488
Here's the pitch in their own words
"The COSBPAC is a very active political action committee in our region. Being an involved player in political races ensures our industry a seat at the table when issues that affect us are discussed. Our local contributions are compiled with those of other home builder associations across Oregon in the Oregon Home Builders Association’s political fund, and Oregonians for Affordable Housing." -- COBA
An average family in Oregon might spend $100 on political giving in a year. How can you possibly compete with all this?!
Rub a dub dub,
Three fools in a tub,
And who do you think they be?
The butcher, the baker,
The candlestick maker.
Turn them out, knaves all three.
Rub a Dub Dub
Three Men in a Tub,
And Who do You think they be?
The realtor, the builder, and the county commissioner.
And Realtors and Builders
Selling and Building,
Building and Selling,
Really Support them You see.
Campaign Cash flows to these Three
And What do think we see?
They Really watch out for the special interests
Building and Selling in HD53
Want to verify these figures or follow the money yourself?
Check Oregon's campaign finance reporting tool Orestar.
Paid for by the Deschutes County Democratic Party • address
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee