Contractors Among Top Donors for Mahomet-Seymour Schools $112M Referendum

As voters in the Mahomet-Seymour School District prepare to weigh in on a $112 million bond referendum, records show that a significant portion of campaign contributions for the Citizens for Mahomet-Seymour Schools political action committee (PAC) are coming from contractors who stand to benefit from the proposed construction projects.

The PAC, advocating for a property tax increase to fund the new junior high and elementary school buildings, has received contributions totaling $14,000 as of the second quarter. More than half of these funds have come from companies and individuals connected to the construction and architectural fields.

Among the PAC’s major contributors is St. Louis-based construction management firm S.M. Wilson, which donated $2,500 in October. Notably, the Mahomet-Seymour School Board recently voted to initiate contract negotiations with S.M. Wilson to oversee the construction, contingent on the referendum’s passage. 

Other construction companies and architectural firms, including Cross Construction ($500), Davis-Houk Mechanical ($1,000), and BLDD Architects employees Damien Schlitt ($2,250) and Mark Ritz ($1,750), have also made substantial donations. A former employee of Broeren Russo, Michael Hernandez made a $1,000 donation to the PAC.

Broeren Russo and Core Construction partnered for a bid to be the construction manager on the $112 million referendum.

Contractors have historically been involved in supporting the Mahomet-Seymour Schools’ construction initiatives. In the 2022 campaign for a $97.9 million referendum, companies such as Broeren Russo Builders and Core Construction were prominent donors to the Bulldog Blueprint PAC, which also backed the district’s referendum.

These patterns have raised questions about the potential influence of contractors on Mahomet-Seymour Schools’ bond efforts. In past board meetings, concerns regarding vendor relationships were discussed. The Mahomet-Seymour board previously debated whether to limit interactions with vendors at the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) conference. While the board ultimately voted down a proposal to restrict vendor meetings, proponents argued that such steps could help maintain transparency and avoid potential conflicts of interest.

Public records indicate that several of the PAC’s prominent donors—Broeren Russo Builders, BLDD Architects, and Davis-Houk Mechanical—have longstanding relationships with the Mahomet-Seymour School District. These companies have worked on past projects, including phases of the Middletown Prairie Elementary School and various renovations throughout the district, with combined contracts valued in the millions. 

Citizens for Mahomet-Seymour Schools has used its funds to finance campaign materials, including two mailers, one of which featured a list of referendum supporters and another glossy eight-page brochure outlining the project’s details. Additional expenditures, such as the design and production of these materials, have not yet been disclosed.

The PAC will be required to disclose all donations and expenditures prior to the end of the year. Of course, this will come after the Nov. 5 vote.