Local leaders used money for LSU tickets

The Louisiana Board of Ethics is grappling with the task of establishing parameters that would spell out what types of campaign expenditures are and are not permitted.

But don’t look for the Louisiana Legislature to provide any guidance on the issue.

That’s because no fewer than 51 current and former legislators have spent more than $400,000 in campaign funds for LSU athletic events since 2007.

And that figure does not even include ticket costs to other state college and university athletic events, various membership dues to civic clubs, country clubs and Mardi Gras krewes and even a few isolated cases of ethics fine payments from campaign funds. Some elected officials have even used campaign contributions to hire baby sitters and to purchase vehicles, including in one instance, a Jaguar.

Chief ethics administrator Kathleen Allen said her staff will use federal rules as well as compiling its own list of expenditures considered as non-allowed personal use of campaign funds in an effort to come up with new rules.

Allen said the Ethics Board has suggested that the 2012 Legislature change state law to be more specific about how campaign contributions may be spent. Present law says that contributions “shall not be used, loaned, or pledged by any person for any personal use unrelated to a political campaign or the holding of public office.”

Allen said federal and state laws regarding campaign expenditures are essentially the same but that the federal rules go a bit further by setting parameters for permissible use of campaign money.

She said Ethics Board members would proceed with rule-making even if the Legislature punts on the issue as it has historically done.

The board made recommendations to the Legislature in the past, which have been largely ignored. It again this year sent a list of 20 proposals to both lawmakers and to Gov. Bobby Jindal.

But of 1,033 bills filed in the House and another 639 in the Senate, not one addresses limiting the expenditure of campaign funds to purposes related to running for or holding office.

“I just wonder how much they (legislators) look at them, board member Cedric Lowrey of Alexander said of the recommendations.

The board, among other things, is recommending:

• Giving the board’s investigatory staff authority to conduct random audits of personal financial disclosure reports;

• Changing the time frame required to enforce ethics laws (current law starts the clock from the time a complaint is filed; the board wants to change that to the time it receives notice of an alleged violation);

• Eliminating the filing of redundant election day expenditure reports;

• Clarifying the roles of the Board of Ethics and the Ethics Adjudicatory Board as it relates to policing of campaign disclosure laws.

The Louisiana Election Code says in part, “No candidate, political committee, person required to file reports nor any other person shall use a contribution, loan, or transfer of funds to pay a fine, fee or penalty imposed (by the State Ethics Board).”

Yet The Louisiana Board of Ethics web page list no fewer than 56 separate instances in which ethics fines were paid with campaign funds. Some of these were paid by political action committees (The Alliance for Good Government paid $1,600 from its campaign funds and the Better Government Political Action Committee paid $5,000 from its campaign funds), some by lobbyists and these, by current or former legislators:

• Rep. James Armes, III (D-Leesville) – $2,600 (two fines);

• Former House Speaker Charles DeWitt (D-Alexandria) – $5,000;

• Former Rep. Tom McVea (R-St. Francisville) – $720;

• Former Sen. Walter Boasso (D-Chalmette) – $1,000;

• Former Rep. Irma Muse Dixon (D-New Orleans) – $600;

• Former Rep. Dale Sittig (D-Eunice) – $800;

• Former Sen. Joel Chaisson II (D-Destrehan) – $5,000 (two fines);

• Sen. Richard Gallot (D-Ruston) – $1,000.

But the real eye-opener is the list of expenditures for LSU athletic season and individual game tickets. Here are a few example of current members of the House and Senate who have dipped into campaign funds to pay for tickets and parking:

• Senate President John Alario (R-Westwego) – $8,022 in 2009 and 2011;

• Rep. John Anders (D-Vidalia) – $9,142 in 2009, 2010 and 2011;

• Rep. James Armes, III (D-Leesville) – $11,688 in 2008, 2010 and 2011;

• Rep. Jeff Arnold (D-New Orleans) – $3,000 in 2011;

• Rep. John Berthelot (R-Gonzales) – $7,770, all in 2011;

• Rep. Thomas Carmody, Jr. (R-Shreveport) – $11,556 in 2009, 2010 and 2011;

• Sen. Karen Carter Peterson (D-New Orleans) – $3,738 in 2009 and 2010;

• Sen. Norbert Chabert (R-Houma) – $3,015 in 2010;

• Sen. Sherri Smith Buffington (R-Keithville) – $10,798 in 2009, 2010 and 2011;

• Rep. George Cromer (R-Slidell) – $8,638 in 2009, 2010 and 2011;

• Rep. Hunter Greene (R-Baton Rouge) – $6,394 in 2010 and 2011;

• Rep. Frank Hoffman (R-West Monroe) – $11,106 in 2008, 2010 and 2011;

• House Speaker Charles Kleckley (R-Lake Charles) – $17,492 in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011;

• Rep. Bernard LeBas (D-Ville Platte) – $11,316 in 2009, 2020 and 2011;

• Sen. Jean Paul Morrell (D-New Orleans) – $8,043 in 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011;

• Rep. James Morris (R-Oil City) – $2,735 in 2009;

• Sen. Dan Morrish (R-Jennings) – $2,978 in 2009;

• Sen. Jonathan Perry (R-Kaplan) – $16,653 in 2009, 2010 and 2011;

• Rep. Stephen Pugh (R-Ponchatoula) – $5,900, all in 2011;

• Rep. Jerome Richard (I-Thibodaux) – $2,678 in 2009;

• Rep. Joel Robideaux (R-Lafayette) – $11,889 in 2009, 2010 and 2011;

• Rep. John Schroder (R-Covington) – $1,708 in 2009;

• Sen. Gary Smith (R-Gonzales) – $14,952 in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011;

• Rep. Regina Barrow (D-Baton Rouge) – $5,238 in 2008 and 2009;

• Rep. Patrick Connick (R-Marrero) – $8,448 in 2008, 2010 and 2011;

• Rep. Mike Danahay (D-Sulphur) – $10,156 in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011;

• Sen Daniel Martiny (R-Metairie) – $7,466 in 2007, 2009 and 2011;

• Sen. Kevin Pearson (R-Sulphur) – $3.010, all in 2010;

• Sen. Francis Thompson (D-Delhi) – $8,955 in 2009, 2010 and 2011.

But none even came close to former Franklin Parish Rep. Noble Ellington who spent $32,380 of his campaign funds since 2007, more than $8,000 of which was spent in 2011 when he did not seek re-election.

Ellington is the immediate past national president of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and within weeks of leaving office, was named the second in command at the Louisiana Department of Insurance at $150,000 per year.

Other former legislators who used campaign contributions from supporters to purchase LSU athletic tickets included:

• Former Rep. Bobby Badon (D-Carencro) – $8,448 in 2008, 2010 and 2011;

• Former Rep. Damon Baldone (R-Houma) – $8,865 in 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2011;

• Former Sen. Nick Gautreaux (D-Meaux) – $3,060 in 2010;

• Former Rep. Walker Hines (R-New Orleans) – $5,688 in 2010;

• Former Sen. Mike Michot (R-Lafayette) – $14,797 in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011;

• Former Sen. Rob Marionneaux (D-Maringouin) – $6,075 in 2010 and 2011;

• Former Rep. Billy Montgomery (R-Bossier City) – $4,075 in 2011 (Montgomery has not served in the legislature since 2008.);

• Former Rep. Ricky Templet (R-Gretna) – $8,638 in 2009, 2010 and 2011;

• Former Rep. Ernest Wooton (R-Belle Chasse) – $4,755 in 2009 and 2011;

• Former Rep. Troy Hebert (D-Jeanerette) – $4,580 in 2010;

• Former Rep. Nickie Monica (R-Metairie) – $9.670 in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011;

Some of the current and former legislators listed their expenditures as “donations,” but the “donations” often were in multiples of $1,010: $1,010, $2,020 and $3,030. Interestingly, other legislators listed identical amounts, but their reports said the expenditures were to purchase tickets, which would seem to bring the claim of donations into question.