Portland’s raging fluoride debate isn’t just igniting conversations at dinner tables. It’s burning through money, too.
Fluoride proponents and opponents are approaching the $1 million fundraising mark as the May 21 inches closer, according to state filings reviewed Friday.
In total, both sides reported contributions of $922,413 — with more than two out of every three dollars going to advocacy group Healthy Kids, Healthy Portland ($672,002) and the rest for opposition efforts at Clean Water Portland ($250,411).
Following state rules, Healthy Kids, Healthy Portland isn’t listing contributions until the mandated week reporting period is up, meaning total contributions are almost certainly higher.
Those aren’t all cash donations, mind you. More than 90 percent of Healthy Kids, Healthy Portland’s funding is cash but the rest is from in-kind contributions. Conversely, about 80 percent of Clean Water Portland’s fundraising is cash.
Advocates still have $175,000 of cash on hand (more than a quarter of their total contributions) compared with just $28,000 (more than 10 percent) for opponents.
Here’s a quick rundown of the biggest contributors for both sides:
Proponents
- Northwest Health Foundation $239,920 ($30,000 of which is in-kind)
- Oregon Dental Association $69,098 ($9,098 of which is in-kind)
- Washington Dental Service Foundation $50,000
- FamilyCare $50,000
- CareOregon $50,000
Opponents
- James Garvey of Kansas $43,000
- Mercola.com Health Resources $21,975
- Roger Burt $11,000
- Carl & Roberta Deutsch Family Trust $10,000
- Daniel Deutsch $10,000
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