We Can’t Trust Rossi to Stand up to Irresponsible Developers
Related Topics
>> Rossi Should Reject and Denounce the BIAW

Building Industry Association of Washington (BIAW):  Dino Rossi’s Extreme, Right-Wing Political Patrons
Ultra-conservative developers have built Dino Rossi’s political career from the ground up.  There is no political relationship in Washington state cozier than the one between Rossi and the developers of the Building Industry Association of Washington (BIAW).  When Dino Rossi was first elected to the state senate in 1996, the BIAW was a major campaign supporter.  In the 1997 – while a state senator – Rossi purchased a multi-million dollar apartment building in Federal Way with BIAW lobbyists and later co-founded a bank with the same BIAW lobbyists. In 2004, the BIAW spent nearly $1 million to support Rossi’s failed campaign for governor.  The extreme organization has made Rossi’s 2008 campaign for governor a top priority.  In December, 2007 the BIAW became the first trade association in Washington to make an endorsement in the Governor’s race with their endorsement of Dino Rossi.

"There are a number of organizations that have been helpful,
but as far as the money and staff resources spent,
I don't think there is one that has been more active than BIAW.”
Afton Swift, Dino Rossi's campaign manager[Seattle Times, 1/12/2005] 

 

BACKGROUND:

  • The BIAW is the single largest financial supporter of Dino Rossi’s political career. 
  • The BIAW spent close to $1 million supporting Rossi’s failed bid for governor in 2004 and are already raising thousands of dollars for his 2008 campaign.
  • Rossi mixes business and politics with BIAW lobbyists.
  • The BIAW has advocated an anti-environmental legislative agenda that includes opposing the clean up of the Puget Sound and efforts to combat global warming.
  • Dino Rossi voted with the BIAW 99 percent of the time as a state senator.
  • The BIAW is one of the nation’s largest developer trade associations and spends hundreds- of-thousands of dollars in lobbying and electoral expenditures on an annual basis.

Dino Rossi’s Relationship with the BIAW Dates Back over a Decade
The BIAW was an influential financial backer of Rossi’s successful campaign for state senate in 1996.

  • “Of 27 independent expenditure committees established during last year's campaigns, 25 were paid for mostly or entirely by BIAW and UFW. Most of the BIAW-UFW committees were formed primarily to influence individual campaigns for the state House or Senate. A little under half the candidates who benefited from the committees' expenditures won their races, including state Sen. Dino Rossi, R-Issaquah, who defeated Drew.”  [Seattle Times, 8/3/1997] 

BIAW Has Spent Millions Bankrolling Rossi’s Political Career

  • The BIAW is Rossi’s largest financial backer.  In 2004, the BIAW spent close to $1 million in support of Dino Rossi’s campaign for governor. [Seattle PI, 12/10/2007]
  • In 2004, the BIAW sponsored “trash ads” in support of Dino Rossi that were pulled off the air because they contained lies. [Seattle Times, 9/15/04]
  • Following the ad buy, the Seattle Times said: “The Building Industry Association of Washington, which supports Republican candidate Dino Rossi, bought $500,000 worth of air time to peddle ads that are lies and distortions.”  [Seattle Times, 9/12/2004] 
  • During the recount of the 2004 election, the BIAW sent deceitful notices on behalf of Dino Rossi to homeowners in King County attempting to secure their signatures to disqualify their vote.  [Seattle Times, 3/4/2005]  

Dino Rossi Mixes Business and Politics with BIAW Lobbyists
Rossi has close business ties to BIAW lobbyists.  Lobbyists for the BIAW entered into a business deal with Dino Rossi to purchase an apartment building in 1997, while Rossi was serving as a state senator.

  • “A year into his first four-year term, Rossi said, three investors approached him about buying an apartment building. The group included two government lobbyists: David Ducharme and his father, Richard Ducharme, who represented the Building Industry Association of Washington while he invested with Rossi.”   [Seattle Times, 10/25/2004]

Rossi also co-founded a local bank with BIAW’s leading lobbyists. 

BIAW Pushes an Extreme Legislative Agenda
The BIAW dismisses global warming, opposes Washington state’s Growth Management Act and regularly criticizes environmental regulations meant to protect ground water and other natural resources.

  •  “The BIAW is the state's chief lobby against open space and climate change legislation. In a BIAW quiz, the ‘correct’ answer to the main cause of global warming is not pollution or the greenhouse effect, but ‘orbital eccentricities of Earth and variations of the sun's output.’”  [Seattle PI, 4/1/2008]

The BIAW is the lead opponent of legislation in Olympia that would create a “Homeowners’ Bill of Rights” to protect home buyers from shoddy construction companies.

  • “Not surprisingly, the Building Industry Association of Washington came out in strong opposition to the bill along with insurers and other groups.”  [The Olympian, 3/6/2008]

The BIAW opposes efforts to clean up the Puget Sound and form a partnership among federal, state, local, environmental and community leaders to lead the effort.
“The biggest disappointment of the session came with the Legislature’s passage of the Puget Sound Partnership bill (SB5372).  Although advocates of the PSE insist the new agency will not have regulatory authority, the new law gives bureaucrats the power to develop an action agenda that will contain “goals and objectives” which local governments will be required to meet.  If local governments do not implement these “goals and objectives,” they risk losing state funding.  This bill was the environmental lobby’s top priority. BIAW was alone in fighting the bill as major business groups and associations in Olympia jumped on board or quietly sat by as the bill passed.”  [“2006 Legislative Victories,” BIAW]

The BIAW led the effort to weaken the Growth Management Act through a statewide ballot measure.  In 1995, voters rejected Referendum 48, 60 to 40 percent.

  • “McCabe said he hopes the initiative would lessen restrictions in major land-use regulations, particularly those dealing with wetlands, shorelines and the Growth Management Act.” [Seattle Times, 12/28/1998]
  • “A last-minute shot of $200,000 from timber companies, real-estate agents and home builders has given a boost to a grass-roots property-rights initiative. The petition to the Legislature is to be delivered Friday with what backers say are more than enough signatures to force action next year.” [Seattle Times, 12/28/1998]
  • “Most of the money raised in the past month went to pay people to circulate the Initiative 164 petitions, said Tom McCabe, executive vice president of the Building Industry Association of Washington, one of the prime organizers and financiers of the initiative rescue effort.” [Seattle Times, 12/28/1998]
  • “Even Metropolitan King County Councilman Chris Vance, a self-proclaimed property-rights supporter, said the initiative could have unintended results. ‘It's so vaguely worded, nobody know what it means. Does this mean that if we change zoning laws to prevent a strip club from opening near a school, we have to compensate the sleazebag who wanted to open the club?’" [Seattle Times, 12/31/1994]

In the 2007 legislative session, the BIAW opposed:

  • Requiring employers to provide for paid family and medical leave to employees. [E2SSB 5659]
  • Providing high quality, affordable health care to Washingtonians based on the recommendations of the blue ribbon commission on health care costs and access options. [E2SSB 5930]

[“2007 How They Voted,” BIAW]

In the 2006 legislative session, the BIAW opposed:

  • Prohibiting price gouging by contractors following a natural disaster [HB 2722]
  • Extending the time by which homeowners may file suit against a home builder for defects in construction.  [HB 2004]

[“2006 Legislative Victories,” BIAW]

Rossi Backed Extreme BIAW Agenda “99 percent of the time”
As a state senator, Dino Rossi was a close ally of the BIAW, siding with the group “99 percent of the time.”

  • “The BIAW says Rossi backed its legislation an astounding 99 percent of the time in his seven years in the state Senate. In the same period, Rossi only voted for legislation backed by the Washington Conservation Voters 36 percent of the time. The environmental group has endorsed Gregoire.”  [Seattle Weekly, 10/13/2004]

Rossi tried to block legislation reducing greenhouse gas emissions, recognizing the threat of climate change, and making Washington a leader in clean energy consumption. 

  • On the Senate Ways and Means Committee, Dino Rossi attempted to block SB 6718, legislation designed to combat global climate change and shift Washington’s energy consumption toward cleaner sources. [SB 6718, 2/12/2002]

Rossi supported legislation to gut the Growth Management Act.

  • Rossi voted for a bill that would have allowed rural counties to exempt themselves from the planning requirements of the Growth Management Act.  The bill was vetoed by Governor Gary Locke.  [HB 2542, 3/6/1998]

Rossi opposed legislation to suspend the license of building contractors with unpaid judgments.

  • Rossi voted twice against a bill that would have protected consumers in dealings with building contractors by suspending the license of a contractor with unpaid judgments and increasing the minimum surety bond that contractors must post.  [SSB 5232 (1999), 3/10/99 and 3/15/99]

BIAW Already Hard at Work Raising Money to Support Rossi
BIAW members and local affiliates are actively raising money to support Rossi’s 2008 campaign.

  • “One of BIAW President Doyle’s top priorities in 2007 was to meet with each of BIAW’s 15 local associations throughout the state and encourage local association leaders and members to become active participants in the upcoming elections, both financially and at the grassroots level. Through President Doyle’s and BIAW leaders’ efforts, 11 local associations pledged over $500,000 for the upcoming election cycle. This much needed money will help BIAW’s efforts to elect Dino Rossi, who announced his candidacy for governor late in 2007. BIAW was the first trade association inthe state to endorse Rossi.”  ["2007 Annual Report"] 

BIAW Uses Proceeds from Developers’ Worker-Compensation Program to Support Political Activities

  • “The group is one of the nation's largest home-builders associations. It gets some money from membership dues and from a health-insurance program it manages for its members. But the group gets the bulk of its income through the state's workers compensation system. State law allows businesses to form workers compensation pools to share insurance risks. The BIAW, which operates the state's largest such pool, gets refunds from the state every year its premiums exceed claims. The BIAW keeps 20 percent of the refunds and gives the rest to members who participate in its workers'-comp pool. The association's take in 2004 was more than $5 million, half of which went to its 15 local chapters.”  [Seattle Times, 1/15/2005]