Below is a list of recent past members of the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance board of directors since 1994, the year Todd Berry assumed presidency of the organization.
CONSERVATIVE GIVING
WISTAX board members, past and present, have overwhelmingly supported Republican and conservative political candidates. Members of the WISTAX board of directors since 1994 have donated $1.39 million to political candidates. This includes over $1.2 million to Republican or (non-partisan conservative) candidates and just $101,600 to Democratic (or non-partisan liberal) candidates - meaning Republicans and conservatives have hauled in 92.7 percent of WISTAX board of directors' giving.
CONSERVATIVE CONNECTIONS
WISTAX board members of the past and present are not only anchors in the Republican money machine, but also are interconnected with organizations and businesses which heavily support Wisconsin’s conservative, pro-corporate causes — from Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce to the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute.
The unbalanced Republican giving of WISTAX board members is consistent over time as are its deep and lasting connections to the most powerful voices, wallets and organizations supporting the conservative Wisconsin network.
This should not be surprising. Republicans and conservatives finance organizations which support Republican and conservative causes. To argue that the state’s most powerful conservative organizations are helping advance a liberal tax agenda is laughable – and more importantly, not supported by WISTAX omission of details, manipulation of data to reach preconceived conclusions and the resulting product that consistently reinforces the conservative agenda.
For more information about the political giving of Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance board members and a detailed report about the overwhelming amounts given by WISTAX-affiliated individuals to Republican and conservative candidates, visit the Money section of WISTAX Watch.
Click the listed contribution amount to see a detailed contribution report for each WISTAX board member.
Legend:
$50,000+ total given to Republicans or non-partisan conservatives and 75%+ of contributions to Republicans or non-partisan conservative
$5,000 - $49,999 total given to Republicans or non-partisan conservatives and 75%+ of contributions to Republicans or non-partisan conservative
Up to $4,999 total given to Republicans or non-partisan conservatives and 75%+ of contributions to Republicans or non-partisan conservative
Past or present member of the board of directors of Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, Wisconsin's most powerful corporate interest lobby.
Conservative connections including serving other conservative boards; corporate board service with other conservative activists; conservative business associations; and family ties to conservative groups
Abbreviations:
WCCF
Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce Foundation, the 501(c)3 affiliate of Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce
WPRI
Wisconsin Policy Research Institute, the state’s most prominent right-wing think tank
MMAC
Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, the Milwaukee arm of WMC
BRADLEY
Lynde and Harry Bradly Foundation, leading financier of the right wing movement
Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance Past Board Members
Dennis Kuester
President, Marshall & Ilsley Corporation
WISTAX Board Member: 2000-2005
- Conservative Connections: WMC board, 2000-2002; WPRI board, 2002-2003; MMAC board, current chairman; BRADLEY board (among largest right-wing funding foundations in America)
- WMC Connections: WMC board, 2000-2002; WI Chamber of Commerce Foundation board, 1997-2002; Kuester was vice-chair and then chair of WISTAX at the same time he served as chair of the WMC board.
- Total Contributions: $125,600
- GOP/Conservative Contributions: $108,500
- Percent to GOP/Conservatives: 86%
- "I respect, value and support WMC because it embodies its mission statement -- 'WMC is...dedicated to fostering and advancing policies which are in the public interest of our state and nation.' WMC promotes the principal -- a healthy business means a healthy economy, means a healthy state. Wisconsin is a healthy state, due in no small part to the efforts of WMC."
-- Dennis Kuester - Back to WISTAX board index
Robert O'Toole
President & CEO, A.O. Smith Corp.
WISTAX Board: 1990-2008
- Conservative Connections: WMC board member, 2004-2007; WPRI board member, 1997-2005; MMAC, former chairman; BRADLEY board member; also serves on M & I Corp. board with WISTAX/WMC directors Dennis Kuester and San Orr, former WISTAX director, Peter Platten, and current WMC director Mark Furlong; also serves on board of Briggs & Stratton. Briggs & Stratton President and COO Todd Teske is a current director of WMC.
- WMC Connections: WMC board member 2004-2007.
- Total Contributions: $57,890
- GOP/Conservative Contributions: $55,240
- Percent to GOP/Conservatives: 95%
- Back to WISTAX board index
San Orr, Jr.
Chairman, Wausau Paper
WISTAX Board Member: 2000-2005
- Conservative Connections: WMC board member, 2001-2005; WPRI board member, 1995-2003; BRADLEY board member; also serves on M & I Corp. board with WISTAX/WMC directors Dennis Kuester and Robert O'Toole, current WISTAX director Peter Platten, and current WMC director Mark Furlong; $70k+ contributor to Club for Growth, which according to its website "endorses Republican candidates who support limited government and lower taxes and pools club member's contributions to selected candidates."
- WMC Connections: WMC board member, 2001-2005.
- Total Contributions: $391,544
- GOP/Conservative Contributions: $390,194
- Percent to GOP/Conservatives: 99.7%
- “I appreciate my longtime friend Jim Klauser for taking on the State Campaign Chairman role for the state of Wisconsin. San Orr is the State Finance Chairman. Jon Hammes is the State Finance Co-Chair -- San Orr is the Co-Chair as well. We've got co-chairmen here. I'm thankful for your hard work."
--President George W. Bush on the campaign trail in Wisconsin, 10/3/03 - Back to WISTAX board index
Peter Platten, III
Vice Chairman, Marshall & Ilsley Corporation
WISTAX Board Member: 1991-2003
- Conservative Connections: Serves on M & I Corp. board with WISTAX/WMC directors Dennis Kuester, Robert O'Toole and San Orr and current WMC director Mark Furlong.
- WMC Connections: None
- Total Contributions: $21,650
- GOP/Conservative Contributions: $21,650
- Percent to GOP/Conservatives: 100%
- Back to WISTAX board index
David Moffett
Firstar Corp, US Bancorp, Freddie Mac
WISTAX Board Member: 1999
- Conservative Connections: Served on the board of directors of US Bancorp predecessor Firstar Bank with current WISTAX board member Jay Williams and WMC/WISTAX board member Richard Teerlink.
- WMC Connections: None
- Total Contributions: $4,500
- GOP/Conservative Contributions: $4,500
- Percent to GOP/Conservatives: 100%
- Back to WISTAX board index
Willard Walker
Chairman & CEO, Walker Forge, Inc.
WISTAX Board: 1980-2007
- Conservative Connections: None
- WMC Connections: None
- Total Contributions: $36,175
- GOP/Conservative Contributions: $35,925
- Percent to GOP/Conservatives: 99%
- Back to WISTAX board index
John Noer
Senior VP, NRG Energy
WISTAX Board Member: 1996-1998
- Conservative Connections: See WMC Connections./li>
- WMC Connections: WMC board member
- Total Contributions: $3,500
- GOP/Conservative Contributions: $3,500
- Percent to GOP/Conservatives: 100%
- Back to WISTAX board index
Daniel Bollom
Wisconsin Public Service Corp.
WISTAX Board Member: 1994-1996
- Conservative Connections: None
- WMC Connections: None
- Total Contributions: $5,500
- GOP/Conservative Contributions: $5,325
- Percent to GOP/Conservatives: 97%
- Back to WISTAX board index
Leonard Sosnowski
Attorney, Foley & Lardner
WISTAX Board Member: 2004-2007
- Conservative Connections: None
- WMC Connections: None
- Total Contributions: $300
- GOP/Conservative Contributions: $0
- Percent to GOP/Conservatives: 0%
- Back to WISTAX board index
Judith Pyle
Vice Chair, The Pyle Group
WISTAX Board Member: 1995-2001
- Conservative Connections: See WMC Connections.
- WMC Connections: Husband, Thomas Pyle, was a board member of WMC.
- Total Contributions: $36,400
- GOP/Conservative Contributions: $14,650
- Percent to GOP/Conservatives: 40%
- Back to WISTAX board index
John Torinus
Chairman & CEO, Serigraph Inc.
WISTAX Board Member: 1990-2007
- Conservative Connections: WMC board, 1990-present; pro-corporate columnist for Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; member of Republican Presidential candidate John McCain's Wisconsin Economic Summit in 2008 along with WMC president Jim Haney, fellow WISTAX board member Ed Zore, Gale Klappa (CEO, Wisconsin Energy Corp. and chair, MMAC 2007-2009) and Tim Sullivan (CEO, Bucyrus Int'l, chair-elect, MMAC 2009-2011); featured speaker on 2009 Americans for Prosperity anti-health insurance reform "tea party" events.
- WMC Connections: WMC board, 1990-present.
- Total Contributions: $21,500
- GOP/Conservative Contributions: $17,850
- Percent to GOP/Conservatives: 83%
- "There's at least one county resident who couldn't be happier with Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush's selection for a running mate.
John Torinus, chief executive officer, chairman of the board and owner of West Bend's Serigraph Inc., came to know Dick Cheney in the late 1960s and the two became friends."
"Torinus actually wishes things were reversed. 'Let me just put it this way. I wish he were the guy'"
West Bend Daily News, 6/26/2000 - Back to WISTAX board index
Roger Fitzsimonds
Former Chairman, Firstar Corporation
WISTAX Board Member: 1988-2007
- Conservative Connections: chair of WMC board, 1988-1990; WPRI board, 1993-1998; MMAC, former chair.
- WMC Connections: WMC board, 1988-1990.
- Total Contributions: $46,835
- GOP/Conservative Contributions: $40,935
- Percent to GOP/Conservatives: 88%
- "...Fitzsimonds, as chairman of Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce in the late 1980s, led the group to become active in pushing its business agenda with the state Legislature.
"He said 'I'm tired of always being on defense -- let's go play offense with a proactive legislative agenda,'" recalls WMC president Jim Haney. The organization had two on-staff lobbyists at the time. Now it has seven and two to three contracted lobbyists, Haney said."
--The Business Journal, 6/20/2008 - Back to WISTAX board index
Edward Zore
President, Northwestern Mutual
WISTAX Board Member: 2000-2001
- Conservative Connections: WMC board, 2005-2006; WPRI board, 1994-present; member of Republican Presidential candidate John McCain's Wisconsin Economic Summit in 2008 along with WMC president Jim Haney, fellow WISTAX/WMC board member John Torinus, Gale Klappa (CEO, Wisconsin Energy Corp. and chair, MMAC 2007-2009) and Tim Sullivan (CEO, Bucyrus Int'l, chair-clect, MMAC 2009-2011).
- WMC Connections: WMC board, 2005-2006.
- Total Contributions: $81,650
- GOP/Conservative Contributions: $75,900
- Percent to GOP/Conservatives: 93%
- Back to WISTAX board index
Richard Teerlink
Former Chairman & CEO, Harley Davidson, Inc.
WISTAX Board Member: 1993-1998
- Conservative Connections: WMC board, 1996-1998; WCCF board, 2001-present; also served on the board of directors of US Bancorp predecessor Firstar Bank with current WISTAX board member Jay Williams and former WISTAX board member David Moffett.
- WMC Connections: WMC board, 1996-1998; WCCF, 2001-present.
- Total Contributions: $49,450
- GOP/Conservative Contributions: $48,550
- Percent to GOP/Conservatives: 98%
- "Some business executives will be happy regardless of who wins the GOP nomination. Richard Teerlink, the retired president and chief executive officer of Harley-Davidson Inc. and chairman of the motorcycle maker's board, is one of about a half-dozen area executives who have hedged their political investments by donating $1,000 to both Bush and McCain."
--The Business Journal, 3/3/2000 - Back to WISTAX board index
James Ericson
President & CEO, Northwestern Mutual Life Ins. Co.
WISTAX Board Member: 1994-1999
- Conservative Connections: WPRI board, 1988-1993.
- WMC Connections: None
- Total Contributions: $45,325
- GOP/Conservative Contributions: $40,075
- Percent to GOP/Conservatives: 88%
- Back to WISTAX board index
William Knox
President, W.D. Hoard & Sons Co.
WISTAX Board Member: 1976-1998
- Conservative Connections: Appointed by Republican Presidents Eisenhower, Nixon and Ford to advisory positions on agricultural issues; father of Randall Knox, current board member of WMC.
- WMC Connections: None
- Total Contributions: $16,035
- GOP/Conservative Contributions: $16,035
- Percent to GOP/Conservatives: 100%
- Back to WISTAX board index
Russell Cleary
Former CEO, G. Heileman Brewing Co.
WISTAX Board Member: 1995-1996
- Conservative Connections: None
- WMC Connections: None
- Total Contributions: $28,585
- GOP/Conservative Contributions: 25,685
- Percent to GOP/Conservatives: 90%
- Back to WISTAX board index
Alfred Diotte
President, DOTT Associates, Ltd.
WISTAX Board Member: 1980-2004
- Conservative Connections: None
- WMC Connections: None
- Total Contributions: $27,900
- GOP/Conservative Contributions: $27,900
- Percent to GOP/Conservatives: 100%
- Back to WISTAX board index
Andrew Randall
Former President, US Bank
WISTAX Board Member: 2004-2005
- Conservative Connections: None
- WMC Connections: None
- Total Contributions: $5,500
- GOP/Conservative Contributions: $0
- Percent to GOP/Conservatives: 0%
- Back to WISTAX board index
Information compiled from the Wisconsin Campaign Finance Information System, the Federal Election Commission and the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign database of campaign contributions. Contribution amounts include amounts donated by the individual and spouse.
