Target's political spending protested outside shareholders meeting in East Liberty
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Bob King, right, 57, of Squirrel Hill and other protesters rally outside the Target store in East Liberty on Wednesday.
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Minnesota retail giant Target came to East Liberty on Wednesday to hold its annual shareholders meeting at the new two-level Penn Avenue store that Pittsburgh community leaders hope will mark another step toward improving the neighborhood economy.
The discount retailer brought a little controversy along, too, even as management tried to keep the focus on Target initiatives that will be reflected in a slightly different store than those found in the Pittsburgh suburbs.
A protest outside before the meeting drew a crowd of about 100 people calling on the retailer to refrain from political spending, according to Marty Marks of the AFL-CIO.
Target came under fire last year for donating $150,000 to a political group that backed Minnesota Republican gubernatorial candidate and same-sex marriage rights opponent Tom Emmer. The donation came in the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allows companies to spend corporate money to influence elections.
"You are going to be susceptible to this type of controversy no matter what type of donation you make," said Mike Dean, executive director of Common Cause Minnesota. "The best approach is really to refrain from political spending."
Later, during the question-and-answer session of the shareholders meeting inside, about a dozen people lined up -- many of them to demand that Target explain better how it chooses candidates to donate to and that it apologize for last year's donation.
Gregg Steinhafel, the company's chairman, president and CEO, stood behind a white podium adorned with the Target chain's signature red bull's-eye and tried to deflect the criticism coming his way.
He noted that after last year's election, the company set up a policy committee meant to review how it handles donations, yet he defended Target's need to stay engaged in the political process on issues that affect the company. "Last year was a great learning experience for us," he said.
But, really, he wanted to talk about other things. "Does anybody have a question related to our business that is unrelated to political giving?" he asked.
Target has made a habit of moving its annual meetings around the country to showcase its latest prototypes. Past meetings have been held in places such as Cleveland and Acworth, Ga.
First Published June 9, 2011 12:00 am
