Public information from the Federal Election Commission shows that in 2011, Aspenites made 99 donations to Rep. Scott Tipton (R-Cortez), totaling $50,322. In the same year, they made 79 donations totaling $20,585 to Sal Pace, Tipton’s Democratic challenger.
Between September 1 and Dec. 31, 2011, Tipton had 14 donations from Aspenites totaling $8,375, while Pace had 69 donations from Aspenites worth $18,855.
Information such as this can be gleaned from the searchable database above.
Aspen Journalism and the Rocky Mountain Investigative News Network worked together to compile the 2011 campaign contributions made to Colorado’s congressional candidates from donors who call the Roaring Fork River valley home.
The resulting table is sorted alphabetically by congressional candidate. but it can be changed to display contributions to individual candidates by amount or by the communities in the Roaring Fork River valley, including Aspen and Glenwood Springs.
Below is a list of notable local donors to both Tipton and Pace in 2011.
Local donors to Scott Tipton in 2011
Frieda Wallison, chair of the Pitkin County Republicans, made two donations to Tipton in 2011, one for $1,200 and one for $319.
Melanie Sturm, vice chair of the Pitkin County Republicans and a columnist for The Aspen Times, donated $1,250 and $500 to Tipton and listed her employer as the ML Sturm Foundation.
Shellie Roy, a former Pitkin County commissioner and current real estate broker, gave $250 to Tipton.
Marc Holtzman, a former candidate for governor of Colorado, gave $1,500 and $1,000 to Tipton.
Political activist Marilyn Marks of Aspen has given three donations to Tipton, two for $100 and one for $250 for a total of $450.
Elizabeth Milias, who writes The Red Ant blog, gave $250 to Tipton.
Jerald Bovino, host of “The Jerry Bovino Show” on GrassrootsTV, gave donations of $500 and $250 to Tipton.
Larry and Lorrie Winnerman of Aspen, who are in the real estate business, each made two donations to Tipton. Larry, a real estate investor, made donations of $1,000 and $600 and Lorrie, a real estate broker, also made donations of $1,000 and $600.
Richard Orrison, president of Orrison Distributing LTD in Glenwood Springs, which distributes Budweiser, made two $500 donations to Tipton.
Lloyd and Betty Schermer of Aspen each gave $2,500 to Tipton. Lloyd is a retired executive, an artist and a supporter of the Anderson Ranch Arts Center and the namesake of the Schermer Meeting Hall.
Attorney Jerry Hosier of Aspen – namesake of the Doerr-Hosier building at the Aspen Institute and a member of the institute’s board of trustees – gave Tipton $2,500.
Attorney Scott Balcomb of Balcomb & Green in Glenwood Springs made two $2,400 donations to Tipton for a total of $4,800.
Nancy and Robert Magoon, movers behind the new Aspen art museum building, gave $1,250 each to Tipton. Robert Magoon also made another $100 donation to Tipton.
Local donors to Sal Pace in 2011
Blanca O’Leary, the chair of the Pitkin County Democratic Party, made three donations to Pace, two for $250 and one for $100.
Camilla Auger, the former chair of the Pitkin County Democrats, made two donations to Sal Pace, one for $100 and one for $250.
Gail Schwartz, a Colorado state senator from Snowmass Village, donated $500 to Pace.
Roger Wilson, a Colorado state representative from Glenwood Springs, donated $200 and $50 to Pace.
Rachel Richards, a Pitkin County commissioner, donated $100 to Pace.
Michael Owsley, a Pitkin County commissioner, donated $25 to Pace.
Dorothea Farris, a former Pitkin County commissioner and a member of the board of the Colorado Division of Wildlife commission, made donations to Pace of $200 and $20.
Mark Fuller, the executive director of the Ruedi Water and Power Authority, made two donations to Pace, one for $250 and one for $50.
Ruth Brown, a member of the Pitkin County Healthy Rivers and Streams board, made three $500 donations to Pace.
Georgia Hanson, president and CEO of the Aspen Historical Society, donated $50 to Pace.
John Bennett, a former mayor of Aspen, made a donation to Pace for $100.
William Stirling, a former mayor of Aspen, made a $100 donation to Pace.
Frank Peters, a former Aspen City Council member, donated $200 and $100 to Pace.
Patti Clapper, a former Pitkin County commissioner, donated $50 to Pace.
Gary Tennenbaum, a former member of the Basalt Town Council, and a land steward with Pitkin County, donated $10 to Pace.
Auden Schendler, vice president of sustainability for Aspen Skiing Co., donated $100 to Pace.
Matthew Hamilton, the sustainability manager for Aspen Skiing Co., donated $50 to Pace.
Sloan Shoemaker, the executive director of Wilderness Workshop in Carbondale, donated $100 to Pace.
Adam Lewis, a philanthropist in Aspen, made four donations to Pace, two for $1,000 and two for $500.
Tim McFlynn, a mediator with Public Counsel of the Rockies (and a board member of Aspen Journalism), gave $100 to Pace.
Michael McVoy, an Aspen-based investment adviser (and a board member of Aspen Journalism) gave $100 to Pace.
Editor’s note: Thanks to Laura Frank, Burt Hubbard, Joe Mahoney, and Sandra Fish at I-News for their work on the project.
– Brent Gardner-Smith