Triple J of Wichita LLC, which in September donated $500 each to Cerullo and Claycomb, changed its name to Cornejo Holdings LLC in October 2020. The Beacon also found LLCs listed as campaign donors with out-of-date names, making them difficult to find on the secretary of state’s website. “It’s easy to set up these LLCs, and there’s a lot of mystery behind the true donors behind these LLCs,” Rotman said. The Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit focuses on campaign finance and government accountability LLCs are sometimes used in campaign donations on the federal level because donors don’t want their names attached to their giving, said Beth Rotman, director of money in politics and ethics at Common Cause. Cerullo did not respond to a request for comment. Johnson said he was not aware of the ties between the trampoline parks and Genesis. Staff will “provide a recommendation to the Park Board and then to the Council in the coming weeks” about which bid to accept, Lovely added in an email to The Beacon. The bids are being reviewed and won’t be released during the evaluation, said city spokesperson Megan Lovely. Genesis was one of two companies that attended a pre-proposal meeting with the city prior to the bidding, said Troy Houtman, the city’s parks and recreation director. In September, the city sought proposals to purchase or manage the ice center. Last year, over 3,600 people signed a petition requesting that the city change management of the facility. Throughout Genesis’ time operating the rink, users have complained that the facility has not been properly maintained or upgraded. Genesis manages the Wichita Ice Center on Maple Street near downtown, but the contract expires in January. When The Beacon called Leap Family Entertainment, the person who answered said he was not privy to information about the donation.
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Josh Gardner, general manager of Sky Trampoline Park, said he was not aware of the donation and was not authorized to donate more than $50. Additionally, October’s reports show how candidates spent campaign dollars leading up to the general election. But the latest reports also show donations from LLCs affiliated with Genesis Health Clubs, a city contractor that may be bidding to buy the Wichita Ice Center. The campaign reports in July and October showed a pattern of donations from developers and construction companies. The influx comes after the council changed its campaign finance policies in 2015 to permit corporations, businesses and political action committees to donate in city elections. Among challengers, 13% of donations to Maggie Ballard came from corporations or LLCs, while Myron Ackerman and Mike Hoheisel received none.
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Voters are casting ballots in three races - Districts 1, 3 and 6.Ĭorporate or LLC donations totaled 18% to 53% of contributions to the city council incumbents - Jared Cerullo, Cindy Claycomb and Brandon Johnson. As Wichita City Council candidates face off in elections that end Tuesday, their latest campaign filings show that corporate contributions played a significant role in the general election - just as they did in the primary.