Investigation

FOLLOW
THE MONEY.

13 companies. Zero customers. Google, data center builders, construction firms, and utility contractors are spending $168,000+ to pick your SRP board.

From their own website — srpelectionalert.com
“Paid for by Arizonans for Responsible Growth. Top Donors: Willmeng, Google, and VW Connect. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s agent.”
Scroll ↓
Section 01 — The Donor Wall

Their own supporters page
is the smoking gun.

azforrg.com/supporters lists every company funding the PAC behind srpelectionalert.com — in tiered donation levels. Here's who they are and what they get from SRP.

$50,000+ NUCLEAR TIER
$50,000+
Willmeng Construction
Largest employee-owned GC in the Southwest
Builds data centers for Digital Realty Trust. Just broke ground on an $107M project with ViaWest (also a donor). CEO hosts events with APS/SRP leaders about data center power needs. The company that builds data centers gave $50K+ to pick who approves data center contracts.
$25,000+ POWERHOUSE TIER
$25,000+
Google
Data centers in SRP territory
Water at $6.08/1,000 gal while you pay $10.80. Major power consumer driving load growth SRP uses to justify your rate hikes. Google pays discount rates. You pay full price. Google gave $25K+ to pick who sets those rates.
$25,000+
VW Connect
Utility construction & installation
Installs power lines, gas lines, and utility connections for new development. Lists SRP as a partner. Tagline: “The job isn't done until the meter is on.” More development = more meters = more revenue. They gave $25K+ to pick who approves new connections.
$25,000+
ViaWest Group
$3.1B+ real estate developer
Develops industrial properties in SRP territory. Just broke ground on ReDiscover Logistics Park with Willmeng (also a donor) — 808,400 SF, $107M financing. More commercial development SRP approves = more ViaWest builds and profits.
$10,000+ HIGH VOLTAGE TIER
$10,000+
EdgeCore Digital Infrastructure
Wholesale data center operator — Mesa, AZ
3.1 million SF campus in Mesa. 450 MW capacity — enough to power 300,000+ homes. $1.9 billion in financing for the Mesa campus alone. A $1.9B data center that depends on cheap SRP power gave $10K+ to pick the board.
$10,000+
Douglas Allred Company
Commercial/industrial developer
13M+ SF of commercial space across Arizona. Uses Willmeng (top donor) as GC. Park Place in Chandler brought tenants like Northrop Grumman. Developer who profits from industrial growth gave $10K+.
$10,000+
Suntec Concrete
Largest concrete contractor in the Southwest
Lists “Data Centers” as a market sector on their website. Built for CyrusOne data centers. The company that pours data center foundations gave $10K+ to pick who approves them.
$5,000+ GRID CHAMPION TIER
Coe & Van Loo Consultants
Civil engineering firm that designs site plans and utility infrastructure for new developments. More development = more engineering contracts.
Rummel Construction
Heavy civil contractor. Mass grading for data center campuses and solar farms. 675 employees, $414M revenue. Added Feb 2026 — AZFRG is building its war chest.
Trademark
Phoenix-area real estate/property firm with financial interest in SRP board decisions.
$1,000+ SPARK TIER
Withey Morris Baugh
Phoenix's largest lobbying and land use law firm. Gets zoning approvals and entitlements for major development projects. The legal machinery that makes data center development happen.
Kieckhefer Properties
Commercial property owner. ~700,000 SF of office/industrial in Tempe and Chandler.
Paceley Constructors
Commercial construction for Fortune 500 companies. Another builder in the data center supply chain.
Not a single customer. Not a single neighborhood group. Just the companies that profit from SRP board decisions — paying to pick who makes them.
Source: azforrg.com/supporters — their own public donor page
Section 02 — The Supply Chain

Every link in the chain.
Every donor on the list.

Every major AZFRG donor fits into the data center supply chain. Here's how they connect.

Need data centers
Google • EdgeCore
$35,000+ combined
↓
Buy and develop the land
ViaWest Group • Douglas Allred • Kieckhefer
$36,000+ combined
↓
Get zoning & entitlements
Withey Morris Baugh (Phoenix's top lobbying firm)
$1,000+
↓
Engineer the sites
Coe & Van Loo
$5,000+
↓
Build them
Willmeng • Rummel • Suntec • Paceley
$66,000+ combined
↓
Install utility connections
VW Connect (SRP listed as partner)
$25,000+
↓
Who approves the contracts?
SRP BOARD
← These companies are choosing who sits here
Google pays
$6.08
per 1,000 gallons
You pay
$10.80
per 1,000 gallons
13
Companies funding AZFRG — zero are SRP customers
$168K+
Minimum disclosed contributions to pick your board
0
Neighborhood groups, community orgs, or individual voters on the donor list
They don't just want a seat at the table. They want to build the table, pick who sits at it, and write the menu.
Sources: azforrg.com/supporters, SRP rate schedules, public records
Section 03 — The Land Shuffle

One insider. One land transfer.
One board seat. $247 million.

December 2023
Nick Vanderwey transfers ~240 acres from an LLC (can't vote in SRP elections) to a family trust (can vote).
April 2024
Vanderwey casts 217.76 acreage votes in the District 3 Board race — out of only 263.88 total votes for the winning candidate, Mario Herrera. One person decided the race.
June 2024
Land transferred back to LLC entities.
July 2024
Land sold to QTS Realty Trust (owned by Blackstone) for $246.8 million — for data center development.
2026
The board member Vanderwey installed will vote on QTS/Blackstone contracts. Vanderwey himself is now running for District 6 Board.
SRP's response
“Does not involve itself in or advise how property owners hold title to their property.”
He moved land into a trust to vote, won the race, moved it back, sold it for $247 million to a data center company, and now he's running for another board seat. That's not democracy. That's a business plan.
Source: Energy and Policy Institute, Feb 9, 2026
Section 04 — The Contrast

Two slates. Two funding sources.
You decide.

The Corporate Slate
Funded by Google, Willmeng,
VW Connect & Turning Point
  • Backed by Arizonans for Responsible Growth (corporate-funded PAC)
  • Attack site: srpelectionalert.com
  • Signs paid for by Turning Point Action, placed across District 6
  • Goal: Protect data center contracts, keep rates structured to benefit large commercial users
Energy Freedom Team
Funded by
individual donors
  • Small-dollar donations from neighbors
  • Candidates: John & Sara Travise — SRP customers, solar homeowners, District 6 residents
  • Community-funded counter-signs placed by volunteers
  • Goal: Customer accountability, water conservation, data center transparency
One side has Google. The other has your neighbors.
Section 05 — The Signs

Why is a national PAC buying signs
for your utility election?

Turning Point Action is placing candidate signs across SRP District 6, promoting candidates aligned with the corporate slate.
The same interests funding srpelectionalert.com overlap with those backing Turning Point's candidates. Different names, same money trail.
A national political machine. Funded by corporations. Picking your electric utility board. In your neighborhood.
Vote on Counter-Sign Designs → Report a TPUSA Sign → notourwater.org →
A national political machine. Funded by corporations. Picking your electric utility board. In your neighborhood.
Take Action

They have Google.
We have you.

Every counter-sign costs $50. Every dollar is grassroots. No PAC money. No corporate donors.

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SRP elections get 1–2% turnout. Your vote — and your $50 — decides who controls your water and power: corporations or your neighbors.