Builder backs bond campaign

Biggest Measure F donor is firm that heads construction under the current school bond.The largest donor to the Measure F school bond campaign has been the builder directing campus work under the Newport-Mesa Unified School District’s last bond, according to campaign statements filed last month.

McCarthy Building Cos., which oversees design and contract bidding for Measure A, contributed $25,000 in September to Citizens for Quality Schools, the campaign team for the Measure F renovation bond. That amount represents almost all of the $29,700 in contributions that the campaign filed with the Registrar of Voters on Sept. 25, although chairman Mark Buchanan said donations have risen substantially since then as more checks have come in.

Citizens for Quality Schools, a grass-roots group comprised of parents and school officials, will issue its second contributions report to the registrar later this week. Buchanan said that McCarthy, the first donor to the Measure F campaign, had given him and his colleagues a welcome boost.

“They’re a group that’s been involved with us from the beginning, and they appreciate the benefit this Measure F will have for the district, probably better than anybody,” he noted.

The district is seeking $282 million through Measure F to modernize Newport-Mesa’s schools and construct new athletic facilities. It would extend the Measure A tax but not raise it. That bond, passed by voters in June 2000, brought the district $110 million, with another $61 million in matching funds eventually coming from the state.

Mark Mardock, the senior vice president of McCarthy, said he did not know whether McCarthy would end up being the program manager for Measure F as well, but that he wanted to contribute to the campaign regardless.

“We have been working with the district, and we’ve seen them do a lot of good things for the neighborhood schools, and we are just big advocates of it,” Mardock said. “We work here in Newport Beach and run our Southern California operations from here, and we believe this is a good cause.”

In addition to the donation from McCarthy, the campaign also received $3,000 from the GKK Corp., one of the architects for Measure A. By the end of September, the campaign had also garnered $1,000 from Buchanan himself; $500 from the San Francisco law firm Orrick, Herrington and Sutcliffe; $100 from Costa Mesa City Councilwoman Katrina Foley and her husband, Casey Swanson; and another $100 from Costa Mesa United supporters Gordon and Carol Bowley.

Buchanan, a Newport-Mesa parent and member of Measure A’s Citizens Oversight Committee -- a 31-member group that oversees the use of construction funds -- said that his group was eager to raise funds for what it saw as a make-or-break campaign. Since Buchanan started the drive in September, he has contacted groups and residents around the district to solicit contributions.

“I’ve made a lot of phone calls -- to individuals, groups, companies, some in the [building] trade and some not, some who have been involved with Measure A,” Buchanan said. “We’ve set out to reach out as broadly as we can, given the limited time frame. We’ve got to generate donations from as broad a spectrum as we can.”

Kevin Padgett, the marketing manager of GKK, said he had been glad to offer assistance when Buchanan called him.

“We’re very committed to the community, of course, and education is part of our business, so giving back is always a big motivator for us,” Padgett said. “The bottom line is, better schools facilitate better education and better results, so we look for opportunities where we can make an impact with that. We do that architecturally, and with our money as well.”

Although both McCarthy and GKK could potentially be in line for contracts under Measure F, Buchanan said the campaign funds would not lead to a conflict of interest.

“In my conversations, I made it clear that whatever their contributions, there could be no quid pro quo of any sort,” he explained.

For a firm to be chosen for a Measure A construction contract, it must be selected by the program manager, seconded by the citizens oversight committee and finally approved by the school board. In addition, the board and committee must select the program manager together.

The board announced plans this month to form a new citizens oversight committee in the event of Measure F passing.

“The important aspect is the performance,” said school board member David Brooks, adding that he does not look at a firm’s past contributions before approving a contract.

Unlike Measure A, which had a specific list of projects for each school, Measure F is more open-ended and will provide renovations to individual sites when bond money permits. Along with the citizens oversight committee, the district has also approved the formation of an equity advisory committee to ensure that each school zone receives the same amount of services.

“This bond is so important to us,” said school board president Serene Stokes. “It’s going to mean so much for our district. We just cannot afford to lose this bond, because it’s going to mean that all the things we want to do for kids are going to be so limited.”

* MICHAEL MILLER covers education and may be reached at (714) 966-4617 or by e-mail at [email protected].