Cleveland’s City Council Leadership Fund and the People’s Budget Cleveland Committee submitted initial campaign financial disclosures to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections last week. Issue 38–or the People’s Budget–would give residents the ability to vote on how to spend about 2% of the city’s yearly budget.

Political action committees (PACs) are groups that raise and spend money to elect and defeat candidates or ballot issues. Financial disclosures create transparency in the political process by showing who donated money and how it was spent.

The Council Leadership Fund, controlled by Cleveland City Council President Blaine Griffin, is collecting and spending money to oppose Issue 38. The People’s Budget Cleveland Committee is the PAC raising and spending money supporting Issue 38. 

In September and October, the Council Leadership Fund raised about $95,500 to help defeat Issue 38. Most of the donations came from a handful of individuals who gave $15,499, the maximum donation currently allowed under state campaign finance rules. The filings account for donations made through Oct. 18. 

The People’s Budget Cleveland Committee reported raising $20,000 in cash donations, including more than 80 that ranged from $2 to $1,540. The committee reported another $92,000 in in-kind donations. In-kind donations are when a person or organization outside a campaign donates materials such as t-shirts, yard signs or work hours from their employees.

Signal Cleveland looked into the expenditure reports for both PACs and previous donations to the Council Leadership Fund using Follow the Money CLE, a site operated by anonymous volunteers. Read the full filings from the Council Leadership Fund and People’s Budget PAC.

Council Leadership Fund donations

Rock Holdings PAC

How much did Rock Holdings PAC give? $15,499

What does the company do? Rock Holdings LLC is a Detroit-based financial technology company founded by Dan Gilbert. The PAC donates money to political campaigns on behalf of Rock Holdings.

Gilbert is also the majority owner of the Cavaliers. The team benefited from the controversial “Q Deal” to renovate what is now Rocket Mortgage Field House. Council voted to dedicate an estimated $8 million a year in Cleveland tax revenue from admissions toward the project starting in 2024. (Note: This line was updated to clarify the tax payer money is revenue from admissions and the payments start in 2024.)

Another Gilbert company inked an agreement – approved by council – to develop land behind Tower City along the Cuyahoga River. The master development agreement lays out the framework for a $3.5 billion collaboration between the city and Bedrock but future tax or other incentives and required community benefits haven’t been worked out or voted on yet. 

Has it given to the leadership fund before? Yes, Rock Holdings PAC donated $13,704 in 2022 and $13,704.41 in 2021.

Jon Pinney

How much did he give? $15,499

Who is he? Managing partner for Kohrman Jackson & Krantz LLP, a Cleveland law firm. He is also a managing partner for TurnDev, a real estate development company.

What does the company do? The city hired the developer to remodel the ArtCraft Building into a new Cleveland Police headquarters for a maximum cost of $90 million.

Has he given to the leadership fund before? Yes, Pinney donated $2,500 in 2022.

Jay Lucarelli

How much did he give? $15,499

Who is he? President and CEO of Minutemen Staffing and Human Resource Services, which is headquartered on Carnegie Avenue in Cleveland.

What does the company do? Minutemen provides staffing services, human resources and workers’ compensation programs in Ohio and several other states.

Has he given to the leadership fund before? Yes, but not since 2007, when he gave $10,000.

J. David Heller

How much did he give? $10,000

Who is he? President, CEO and founder of the NRP Group.

What does the company do? NRP is among the largest multi-family developers and property managers in the country. In recent years it partnered to build 5115 at The Rising in Slavic Village and The Davis Apartments in Glenville. 

Has he given to the leadership fund before? Yes, but not since 2007, when he gave $10,000.

Cleveland Browns Football

The Cleveland Browns football team is owned by the Haslam Sports Group, founded and run by Jimmy and Dee Haslam. They also own the Columbus Crew soccer team and are co-owners of the Milwaukee Bucks basketball team. Several members of the Haslam family donated $15,499 to the Council Leadership Fund.

Residents paid to build the stadium the team plays in and have contributed $240 million to repair and maintain it since 2010. (Note: This includes “sin” taxes paid by drinkers, smokers, fees paid by people who park in city lots and rent cars and money from the city’s general fund.) The team contributes $250,000 in rent each year, and the Haslams have put $254 million toward improvements.

Talks are underway between the city and the Haslams about a major renovation, a new lease and potential development around the lakefront stadium. What that will cost taxpayers isn’t known, but City Council would have to approve any deal that involves city money. 

Dee Haslam

How much did she give? $3,875

Who is she? Founder and executive producer of RIVR Media Co. and CEO of Haslam Sports Group. She co-owns the Cleveland Browns with her husband, Jimmy. 

Has she given to the leadership fund before? Yes, she gave $13,700 in 2021.

Jimmy Haslam

How much did he give? $3,875

Who is he? Chair of the board of the truck stop chain Pilot Flying J and chair of Haslam Sports Group. He co-owns the Cleveland Browns with his wife, Dee.

Has he given to the leadership fund before? Yes, he gave $10,000 in 2017 and in 2020.

Whitney Haslam Johnson

How much did she give? $3,875

Who is she? Daughter of Dee and Jimmy Haslam. She is also the chief experience officer for Pilot Flying J and a partner at the Haslam Sports Group. 

Has she given to the leadership fund before? No.

JW Johnson

How much did he give? $3,874

Who is he? Husband of Whitney Haslam Johnson. He is the executive vice president of the Cleveland Browns and executive vice president of the Haslam Sports Group. He is also the director of development for RIVR Media, his mother-in-law’s company.

Has he given to the leadership fund before? No. 

Labor unions

Labor unions have also opposed Issue 38. Their members benefit from requirements to hire union workers and pay union wages. In total, two local union chapters gave $9,300 to the Council Leadership Fund.

Laborers Local 860

What is Laborers Local 860? A local union representing such workers as carpenters, cement masons, bricklayers, plasterers, floor layers, operating engineers and plumbers. 

How much did it give? $7,500

Has it given to the leadership fund before? Yes, it donated $5,000 in 2022. In 2008, it donated $2,500. It also donated $500 in 2005, 2007 and 2018.

Pipefitters Local 120 PAC

What is Pipefitters Local 120 PAC? A PAC that donates money on behalf of the local union chapter representing pipe fitters, sprinkler fitters, HVAC service technicians, journey workers and apprentices.

How much did it give? $1,800

Has it given to the leadership fund before? Yes, it donated $2,500 in 2022. In 2021, 2018 and 2017, it donated $1,000. Its donations ranged between $250 and $500 in 2015, 2014, 2013 and 2007.

People’s Budget donations

The People’s Budget Cleveland Committee is a PAC formed to support Issue 38. The largest donations came from organizations such as Cleveland Owns, Ohio Voice and Ohio Organizing Collective.

A majority of the contributions were in-kind donations for printing mailers, yard signs and staff pay. The largest cash donation from an individual was $1,540.

Cleveland Owns

What is Cleveland Owns?  An organization that creates and supports cooperatives working in clean energy, food access, digital access and collective purchasing. Cleveland Owns also co-leads PBCLE, a coalition of 50+ organizations working to pass Issue 38. 

How much did it give? $10,000 in cash and $1,485 in in-kind donations for staff time.

Ohio Voice

What is Ohio Voice? The Ohio affiliate of State Voices, a non-partisan and nonprofit organization that supports civic engagement work. Ohio Voice facilitates training for community organizers, provides data analysis support, and voter engagement efforts targeted at Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) and young people.

How much did it give? $13,777 in in-kind donations, mostly spent on research consultants and staff time.

Ohio Organizing Collaborative

What is Ohio Organizing Collaborative? A grassroots organization made up of students, people of faith, people directly impacted by mass incarceration, unemployed workers, childcare providers and the families they serve.

In addition to working to pass the People’s Budget, the collective also advocates for fair, representative, and constitutional congressional and legislative maps.

How much did they give? $73,603 in in-kind donations, mostly spent on printing mailers and employing staff.