Markham Mayor’s Campaign Donors Net Millions in City Projects, Records Show
ICPR Executive Director Sarah Brune was quoted in this article
via Chicago Tribune
“Longtime mayor David Webb Jr. has never needed more than 1,700 votes to win election in Markham, a south suburb of less than 13,000 people.
Nevertheless, Webb Jr., who was elected mayor in 2001, has been one of the more prolific local political fundraisers in the state, taking in more than $1 million in contributions since 2000, campaign finance records show.
Much of Webb’s political war chest has come from city vendors, a Daily Southtown review of campaign finance disclosures and Markham treasurer reports shows. Records also show the city has done extensive business with donors to the mayor’s campaign fund, paying out at least $72 million since 2001 to Webb’s political supporters.
The overlap between city vendors and campaign donors includes a wide variety of businesses, records show. Essential city service providers, such as a town garbage contractor and an ambulance company, have given to Webb’s campaign committee, as have myriad local businesses including car repair shops and a party rental store.”
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