Copyright 1997 The Philadelphia Inquirer 
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The Philadelphia Inquirer
APRIL 12, 1997 Saturday D EDITION
SECTION: NATIONAL; Pg. A03

LENGTH: 434 words

HEADLINE: $23.7 MILLION RAISED FOR INAUGURATION / MOST CAME FROM TICKET SALES. A WATCHDOG PRAISED THE DISCLOSURE OF DONORS, BUT QUESTIONED SPECIAL INTERESTS.

BYLINE: FROM INQUIRER WIRE SERVICES

DATELINE: WASHINGTON

BODY:
Contributors raised $23.7 million for President Clinton's second swearing-in and the balls, parade and festivities that surrounded it, the Presidential Inaugural Committee said yesterday.

The committee has $4 million left over.

Inaugural planners decided not to repeat the strategy of Clinton's first ceremony, which was financed largely with millions of dollars in donated services and cash from corporations and individuals.

"The climate over fund-raising in the last few months we felt was something we didn't need to get the inaugural involved in," said Craig Sutherland, communications director for the committee.

It helped that $9.9 million left over from 1992 remained in the bank. The total cost for the 1996 inaugural was $29.6 million.

The vast majority of this year's funds came from ticket sales. The committee decided to first offer tickets to individuals to buy up to six tickets ranging in price from $100 to $3,000 each, and later offered tickets in larger blocks.

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees alone bought $322,464 worth of them - equal to 107 of the priciest gala tickets, which went for $3,000 apiece. The cheapest tickets were $10 for a parade seat.

The inaugural received a total of $5 million from unions, companies or individuals who bought blocks of tickets costing more than $20,000.

The biggest buyer was Marriott International, which spent $410,014 on tickets and passed many on to hotel guests as part of its inaugural packages.

The Laborers' union bought $157,350 worth of tickets. The union's general president, Arthur Coia, is a Democratic donor whose friendship with the Clintons has been criticized by Republicans.

Kent Cooper, director of the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, commended the committee for disclosing the names of all 19,929 ticket purchasers - something never done in the past.

But Cooper said the list shows that special interests found a way to contribute - spending $100,000 on tickets - when outright gifts were no longer welcome. "There's not much difference between the two," he said.

Sutherland said people and companies bought blocks of tickets for many reasons. That's different from donations, he said, because "there was always something of value you got in return - the opportunity to attend the last inaugural of this century."

In addition to ticket sales, proceeds came from $800,000 worth of coffee mugs, buttons, medallions and other merchandise and $2,000 worth of donations of $100 of less.