Tobacco company paying big bucks to support Proposition 206 and defeat 201

By Howard Fischer/Capitol Media Services
Published/Last Modified on Saturday, October 28, 2006 11:56 AM MDT


PHOENIX - One of the nation's largest tobacco companies is spending more than $1.40 for every man, woman and child in Arizona to let bar owners decide whether their patrons should be allowed to smoke.


New campaign finance reports show R.J. Reynolds has donated more than $1.4 million in just the last seven days. That is on top of nearly $7.1 million the campaign already had, almost all of that from the tobacco giant.

The Reynolds-financed campaign is trying to convince voters to support Proposition 206 and defeat Proposition 201.

Both would ban smoking in most public places. But Proposition 201, also includes bars, even in cities with less stringent anti-smoking laws. Backers of that measure report reports collections of about $1.7 million, mostly from the American Cancer Society.

Proposition 206 would allow smoking in bars and separately ventilated sections of restaurants where liquor is sold.

It would void existing city ordinances which now restrict smoking in those places.

The campaign against Proposition 107 to constitutionally limit marriage and its benefits to one man and one woman has collected more than $1.7 million with a $500,000 donation this month from Bill Lewis, bringing his total financing to $715,000.

Kyrsten Sinema, who heads the anti-107 committee, said Lewis is the son of Delbert and Jewell Lewis, former owners of KTVK-TV in Phoenix, and the grandson of Ernest McFarland who served both as

Arizona's governor and U.S. senator. Lewis did not respond to request placed through Sinema for comment.

Backers of Proposition 107 have contributions of slightly more than $700,000.

The report by foes of Proposition 106 shows donations just shy of $2 million, including $1.7 million from the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona. And the association donated another $465,000 since the deadline for that report.

That puts it neck-and-neck with financing for Conserving Arizona's Future, the pro-106 efforts, which reported nearly $2.3 million in donations.

The initiative would set aside up to 695,000 acres of state trust land for preservation and allow the Land Department to partner with developers on projects.

Backers of Proposition 202 to establish a $6.75-an-hour state minimum wage are spending twice as much as foes.

Two separate campaign committees have raised more than $1.2 million, about half of that from the Service Employees International Union. Foes have collected more than $600,000, mainly from restaurant and fast-food chains.

Backers of Proposition 203 to impose an 80-cent-a-pack levy on tobacco for programs for early childhood development have raised $3.2 million. There is no organized opposition.

And a new committee, financed with $25,000 from U.S. English, has been formed to convince Arizonans to back Proposition 103 which would declare English the state's official language. Here, too, there is no opposition.

The campaign for Proposition 207 has so far raised $1.6 million, much of that from Americans for Limited Government. That is far more than foes of the measure which would limit the government use of eminent domain and require landowners to be compensated when regulations reduce the value of their property:

While a final report was not available Thursday night, an interim report filed a week ago showed donations of about $325,000.

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