Some donors to Nashville's transportation effort remain unknown
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The full list of donors backing Nashville's transportation funding referendum isn't yet known.
Why it matters: A disclosure of donors gives the public a sense of the political groups, corporations and business leaders who bankroll campaigns.
Context: It's rare, but not unheard of, for political groups to register as 501(c)4 nonprofit groups, which are not required to disclose their donors.
- Dark money backed the opposition group that successfully helped defeat the 2018 transit referendum.
State of play: Transportation supporters created two groups to rally support for Mayor Freddie O'Connell's $3.1 billion proposal.
- A political action committee (PAC) called Green Lights for Nashville filed its disclosures as required. A technically separate 501(c)4 group, the Nashville Moves Action Fund, raised the bulk of the money and then forwarded the funds to the PAC.
- The Tennessee Registry of Election Finance sent a letter last week directing the Nashville Moves Action Fund to register as a political group and disclose all of its donors.
- Some political groups filed disclosures with the state showing their contributions to the effort, meaning a few donors are already known. Law firms and real estate groups were among those supporting the effort, according to the Nashville Business Journal.
What he's saying: Jeff Morris, who leads the pro-transportation group, tells Axios his organization "has been working with the Bureau of Ethics and Campaign Finance and plans to continue to comply with the state's requirements."
The other side: Emily Evans, who helps lead the opposition, criticized the lack of transparency. In a long post on X, she questioned whether the goal was to conceal "organized labor" financially backing the pro-transportation group.