The gifts they keep on giving
Looking to score some free NASCAR tickets? Get elected to state government.
Passes to auto-racing events and football games, free dinners and gift boxes regularly fall into the hands of those serving in Richmond, according to annual statements of economic interests filed by legislators in January.
The largest gifts in 2001 were $235 Washington Redskins ticket packages that Dominion Resources Services gave Delegates John A. “Jack” Rollison III, R-52nd District, and Harry J. Parrish, R-50th District, and also a $359.42 NASCAR race package that Philip Morris gave Rollison.
“I didn’t get invited to that one,” said Delegate Michele B. McQuigg, R-51st District, referring to the football game. McQuigg had the least amount of gifts of any county legislator.
“It’s more to get to know people. When you’re in Richmond, everyone’s running around so much,” she said. She said she has been too busy for the events when they’ve come across her desk.
The largest givers in 2001 were Dominion Resources Services Inc., Columbia Gas of Virginia and ExxonMobil.
Tobacco was there, too — Philip Morris gave to each local representative in the General Assembly.
The economic interests filings detail gifts more than $50, personal liabilities, savings, payments for talks and business interests of legislators.
A breakdown of gifts and business interests:
Sen. Charles J. Colgan, D-29th District
He is chairman of Colgan Air Inc. and is also employed by Capital Aviation & Instrument Corp. He owns more than $50,000 in stock in Colgan Air. The gifts he received are: the $77 Kraft Foods gift box and $283 overnight hotel accommodations from the Virginia Manufacturers Association.
Delegate Harry J. Parrish, R-50th District
Parrish is chairman of Manassas Ice & Fuel Co.
He owns more than $50,000 in each of the following:
stocks: BB&T Corp., Suntrust Banks Inc., MIFCO, Verizon Communications, GasFair Inc., Dominion Resources, Philip Morris, Citigroup Inc., ExxonMobil Corp. and Host Marriott Corp.
mutual funds: Venture Vantage
bonds: Prince William County, Prince William Park Authority bonds, Richmond City government, Upper Occoquan Sewer Authority and the Virginia State Housing Development Authority
equity funds: Commonwealth of Virginia Deferred Contribution Plan
He owns $10,001 to $50,000 in each of the following:
stocks: Corus Group, Henrico County Water and Sewer, Cardinal Financial Corp., IBM, Nextel Communications, Wachovia Corp., Daimler-Chrysler Corp., United Dominion Realty Trust, Marriott International and MFS Municipal Trust Income
bonds: Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority, University of Virginia
The gifts he received: $50 dinner from Verizon, a $77 Kraft Foods gift box, $50 dinner from Philip Morris, $235 Redskins tickets from Dominion Resources, $50 dinner from Odgen Waste Energy of Savannah, Ga., a $50 gift box from John Fox and Friends of Manassas, $96.60 dinner from ExxonMobil, $138.74 reception and gift from ExxonMobil, $61.81 dinner at the Bull and Bear Club in Richmond from Columbia Gas of Virginia, and $50 dinner from MCI WorldCom.
Parrish was reimbursed by the state for his attendance at the annual meetings of the National Conference of State Legislators in San Antonio, Aug. 11-16, $1,175.62; the SLC in Savannah, Ga., July 14-18, $1,020.20; two NCSL meetings in Washington, D.C., $152.10 and $151.70.
Delegate Robert G. Marshall, R-13th District
Marshall is employed by Shenandoah Electronic Intelligence.
Gifts he received are: three University of Virginia tickets in September and again in November, each package worth $78 paid by the university; $101 for 11 George Mason University basketball tickets paid by the university; and the $77 Kraft Foods gift box.
Delegate John A. “Jack” Rollison III, R-52nd District
Rollison is president of Rollison Brothers Inc., a car-repair business in Woodbridge, and is director of Cardinal Bank on Lee Highway in Fairfax. He owns more than $50,000 in stock in Cardinal Bank stock.
Gifts he received are: $99.47 dinner at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse from Philip Morris, $359.42 NASCAR race tickets from Philip Morris, a $77 Kraft Foods gift box, $235 Redskins tickets from Dominion Resources, $275 in food and accommodations from Bob Duncan Real Estate of Alexandria, $150 in food from Troutman Sanders Mays & Valentine law firm in Richmond, and $150 in food and $150 in football tickets from Norfolk Southern.
Rollison was reimbursed by the state $1,160.30 for attending and speaking at the annual Virginia Road and Transportation Builders Association meeting.
Real estate that he or his immediate family owns: residential properties in Fairfax County and Hardy County, W.Va., his car-repair shops properties and a rental property in Richmond.
Delegate Michele B. McQuigg, R-51st District
McQuigg is employed by Strategic Financial Planning Systems. She also receives income from a rental property in Prince William. She owns $10,001 to $50,000 in Fidelity mutual funds and Vanguard mutual funds.
She received a $77 Kraft Foods gift box.
Editors’ note: Reports were unavailable for Delegate L. Scott Lingamfelter, R-31st District, because he was just installed in office in January, and for Sen. Linda T. Puller, D-36th District, for technical reasons. Her report will be published in the future.
Staff writer Chris Newman can be reached at (703) 878-8062.