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Contractor responsible for I-264 pothole repair donated heavily to public officials

Posted at 9:45 PM, Feb 11, 2013
and last updated 2013-02-11 22:19:19-05

Virginia Beach, Va. - The company under scrutiny for pothole fixes on I-264 has a lot of friends in government.

The president of TME enterprises and his family have dished out tens of thousands of dollars to state leaders.

The president and CEO of the company is listed as Matt Ehrenzeller. Campaign disclosures show he and his family members have sent a lot of politicians a lot of money.

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Years of bone rattling trips for drivers along I-264 came to a climax late last week when massive potholes bloomed, flattening tires and disabling cars. And now the private company paid millions to keep the interstate in reasonable shape is under scrutiny for its repair work.

TME Enterprises is supposed to, among other things, patch potholes proficiently enough that the repair doesn't wash away with rainstorms. And if you're not happy with the company's work, you might end up complaining to state leaders very familiar with TME.

Want to bend Governor Bob McDonnell's ear? Records show McDonnell has netted more than $35,000 dollars in the past several years from TME's leaders and their families. How about the lieutenant governor? Well Bill Bolling took at least $6,000 from them. Attorney general? He's also taken thousands in donations from the family behind TME.

So, perhaps you should contact your congressman. Just know Scott Rigell and Randy Forbes have both received money from the Ehrenzeller family.

In the past several years, disclosure records show the Ehrenzeller family of Virginia Beach has dished roughly a hundred thousand dollars to Republican candidates, groups and politicians. None to Democrats.

So if you're hoping state leaders will take a hard look at the I-264 repairs, they'll be looking into a family very generous with political donations.

The contract with TME includes a lot of things, from pothole repair to litter removal.

State transportation leaders say they will more closely monitor the company.