Gov.-elect Tom Wolf's love for his Jeep Wrangler Golden Eagle might have earned him $2,500 toward his inauguration party this Tuesday.

The Butler County Tourism and Convention Bureau, which heads the annual Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival and is supported by county hotel taxes, is among the more than 100 donors to Wolf's inauguration committee. The bureau and the University of Pittsburgh are the two quasi-government agencies on the sponsor list.

Both organizations say their contributions don't contain tax money.

The inauguration committee is a registered 501(c)(4) organization, said spokeswoman Beth Melena, and can legally accept donations from the bureau and Pitt.

A 501(c)(4), or a so-called social welfare organization, is permitted to participate in campaign and lobbying activities, unlike a tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

The celebration is usually privately funded. This is the first time in modern history the names and amounts have been fully disclosed, organizers said. The total surpassed $1.5 million.

“Gov.-elect Wolf has always been very serious about being open and transparent, and he really wanted to reflect that in his inaugural committee as well,” Melena said.

The Butler County Tourism and Convention Bureau, which has a $1.7 million budget, is funded largely through county hotel taxes and makes money from selling advertisements, membership fees and proceeds from events, said President Jack Cohen.

“We can use those to show support and help promote our community,” Cohen said. “When you have the inauguration of a governor, that's a big deal, and we'd like to be there to support it.”

The organization hosts the annual Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival to commemorate the vehicle's anniversary. Wolf, a Jeep driver, used his vehicle in campaign ads and will use it to shuttle back and forth from his family home in York County and the state Capitol in Harrisburg.

Wolf — and his Jeep — attended the festival last year. Cohen said he hopes he'll return this year for the 75th anniversary.

“He took time to understand what we do, and to me, that was a very good sign of support for someone who was running for office,” Cohen said.

Cohen said this donation was the first of its kind for the organization, which has been looking for “ways to better get our officials to know about what tourism does in our community.”

The University of Pittsburgh gave $25,000 to Wolf's inauguration. The University of Pittsburgh receives an annual appropriation from the state, flat at $136 million the past two years. Spokesman Ken Service said the university's donation came from private funding streams, not state appropriations.

“It's important for them to know we are supportive of the issues the governor has to face,” Service said. “The inauguration is an opportunity to support the governor, and we've done that on a bipartisan basis.”

The university gave $15,000 toward Corbett's inauguration four years ago, Service said.

The Wolf inauguration team says donations were both solicited and accepted. Eight donors gave the maximum of $50,000, including Comcast, Philadelphia-based Independence Blue Cross and The Wolf Organization, the governor-elect's York-based family business.

Twenty-seven donors gave $25,000, including Duquesne Light Co., Pittsburgh-based Everpower and the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 66.

The Pennsylvania Democratic Party, former Republican Gov. Tom Ridge's consulting firm Ridge Policy Group and the Philadelphia Eagles each gave $5,000. The Steelers organization is not on the donor list.

Wolf's inauguration on Tuesday includes a “Let's Get Started” celebration at The Hershey Lodge with Pennsylvania-themed cocktails and food and drinks from in-state producers. Tickets are $100.

Wolf said in December he planned to disclose his inauguration donors. He pledged to privately fund his transition team, which is handling the cabinet member selection process and prepping agency-specific reports before he takes office. State officials previously estimated the cost would be about $250,000, but Wolf declined to use taxpayer money.

Twelve donors, made up of close friends and family, gave a total of $410,000 to cover those costs. That includes a combined $50,000 from his parents, Cornelia Wolf and William Wolf, and $25,000 from PA Future, a political action committee associated with former Gov. Ed Rendell, Sheridan said.

Melissa Daniels is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. She can be reached at 412-380-8511 or mdaniels@tribweb.com.

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