Chairman Villere Comments on President Obama’s State of the Union Address

“It is clear that President Obama has given up on governing and used the State of the Union address more as a campaign prop.”

METAIRIE, LA – This evening, Republican Party of Louisiana Chairman Roger F. Villere, Jr. released the following statement on President Obama’s State of the Union Address:

“It is abundantly clear that this president has given up on governing and used the State of the Union address more as a campaign prop than actual forum to put ideas forth that will get America back on track. We’ve heard this all before.  Despite unfulfilled promises and failed economic policies from his previous State of the Union Addresses, Barack Obama tried to use tonight as a platform to boost his campaign, but Americans deserve better.  This speech reeked of desperation and it is clear that Barack Obama’s team in Chicago is worried about the continual rejection of his broken promises and failed economic policies,” said Chairman Villere.

“President Obama has absolutely no record to run on, which is why we listened to another speech with metaphors, promises, and a doubling down on failed economic policies.  It didn’t work previously, and it won’t work again.  Fortunately for America, day after day, voters are beginning to realize that Barack Obama is wrong for our nation and they are ready to make him a one term president,” Villere said.

Statement from Republican Party of Louisiana Leaders on the Passing of Former Republican State Representative Ernie Alexander

Baton Rouge – Former Republican State Representative Ernie Alexander passed away Tuesday night after a bout with cancer. Republican Party of Louisiana Chairman Roger Villere, Jr. released the following statement regarding the death of Alexander:

“Ernie Alexander was a true public servant who never wavered in his conservative beliefs,” Villere said. ”Even after Ernie retired from public service, he continued to serve the Republican Party and the conservative movement as a leader of the Lafayette Republican Party and an avid supporter of the Tea Party movement. On behalf of the Republican Party of Louisiana, I’d like to express our deepest condolences to the Alexander family. He will certainly be missed.”

RNC National Committeeman Ross Little, Jr.’s statement on the death of Alexander:

“Ernie and I were once competitors in an election, but he proved to be a true friend and conservative ally through the years,” Little said. “Through his many years of service as a public school teacher, Ernie earned the love and respect of thousands of Lafayette children. He was a true gentleman and I am honored to have called him friend. My prayers and thoughts are with Shirley and the entire Alexander family during this difficult time.”

Republican Party of Louisiana Vice-Chairman Charlie Buckels’s statement on the death of Alexander:

“Ernie Alexander, at both the state and local level, was one of our most effective and respected Conservative Republican leaders,” Buckels said. “His integrity should be a model for all public officials.”

Alexander’s passion for the Founding Principles of our nation led him to a successful public service career. A longtime public school teacher, Alexander served on the Lafayette City Council before representing the 43rd State House District in the Louisiana Legislature from 2000 until 2008. Alexander also dedicated his time and talents to the Republican Party as he served on the Republican State Central Committee, was chairman of the Lafayette Republican Parish Executive Committee and was a dedicated member of the Republican Party of Louisiana Trust.

Funeral services will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Friday at the St. Pius X Catholic Church in Lafayette. Visitation will be held on Thursday from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. and on Friday morning beginning at 8 a.m. at the Delhomme Funeral Home on Bertrand Drive.

Alexander is survived by his wife of 57 years, Shirley Champagne Alexander, and by one brother, John Arlen Alexander and his wife, Carolyn Kimball Alexander.

The Republican National Committee met in New Orleans on Friday and cleared the way for states like Louisiana to bind delegates to presidential candidates according to the results of presidential primaries. This ruling confirmed our ability to move forward under our current rules.

The RNC has also ruled that Louisiana must conduct delegate elections in its six new congressional districts instead of the seven current districts. This action deprived our state of three additional delegates that we feel we are entitled to. We were disappointed by this decision.

Regardless, it is now time to move forward with our delegate selection process.

The Republican Party of Louisiana will conduct congressional district caucuses on Saturday, April 28, 2012 for the purpose of electing delegates to the Louisiana Republican State Convention. Delegates to the Republican National Convention will be elected by the State Convention on June 2nd in Shreveport.

Louisiana voters affiliated with the Republican Party on or before December 15, 2011 are eligible to participate in the caucuses.

Caucus voting will be conducted between 8:30 a.m. and 12:00 noon. Any qualified voter who is in line at noon will be allowed to vote. Voters are not required to stay for a meeting in order to vote. Voters will elect 25 delegates and 12 alternates from their new congressional districts. Each person may cast votes for up to 25 candidates for delegate and up to 12 candidates for alternate.

In order to run for state convention delegate or alternate, candidates must qualify with the Republican Party of Louisiana. There will be two methods of qualifying. Those who desire to qualify online may do so on April 10-12, 2012. Online qualifying will end at 5:00 p.m. on April 12th. Names of candidates who qualify online will be listed online so that they may verify that their registrations have been received. Those who do not want to register online and those wishing to pay for one or more candidates by check may deliver registration forms and checks in person on Tuesday, April 10, 2012, between 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. at Republican Party of Louisiana Headquarters, 530 Lakeland Drive, Suite 215, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

The registration fee for a candidate for state convention delegate is $200. The fee to run for alternate is $75. Qualifying forms and caucus locations will be published in the weeks ahead.

Voters will be assigned to one of approximately 30 voting sites across Louisiana. In most cases, entire parishes will be assigned to one site. At some sites, voters from more than one congressional district will vote. When voters sign in, they will be provided the appropriate ballot for their congressional district. Voters are required to provide a photo ID in order to obtain a ballot. Voter registration cards are not required for check in, but we encourage voters to bring one in case there is any question about their eligibility to participate.

Delegates and alternates to the Republican National Convention will be selected on June 2, 2012 at the Louisiana Republican State Convention in Shreveport by state convention delegates. It is not necessary to be a state convention delegate in order to be elected as a national convention delegate. Qualifying procedures for national delegate and alternate will be announced at a later date.

Thank you very much.

Sincerely,

Roger F. Villere, Jr.
Chairman

The road to the White House runs through the Southern Republican Leadership 
Conference, January 18th-21st, 2012!

What makes SRLC 2012 so action-packed is that it is being held in Charleston, South Carolina in the lead up to the “First in the South” Presidential Primary Election.

And if that’s not enough, just two days before South Carolina voters head to the polls, CNN will be hosting a presidential debate on Thursday, January 19.

Media from around the world, federal-and state-elected officials, and the Republican presidential contenders are all in one place and will make SRLC 2012 one adrenaline-charged event you don’t want to miss.

For an exclusive Republican Party of Louisiana discount, please register using this exclusive link. For general information, visit www.SRLCCharleston2012.com. If you would like to become a sponsor for SRLC 2012, please contact Julie Emerson at Julie@SRLCCharleston2012.com.

We look forward to hosting you in Charleston!

Statement from LAGOP Executive Director Jason Doré on Judge Clark’s Ruling:

“At the request of John Treen, Judge Janice Clark issued an order today prohibiting Secretary of State Schedler from using the election plan from which the current membership of the Republican State Central Committee was elected in 2008. Additionally, Judge Clark ordered Secretary Schedler to conduct the elections for members of the Republican State Central Committee pursuant to a state statute which is facially unconstitutional.

In 1996, the Republican Party successfully challenged implementation of a state statute similar to the one Judge Clark ordered Secretary Schedler to implement. After the statute was declared unconstitutional by the Louisiana Supreme Court, the party’s elections were conducted pursuant to the party’s plan. The Republican Party will again take legal action to ensure that the Republican State Central Committee is elected in accordance with a plan adopted by its membership as required by the state and federal constitutions.”

Did Gary Smith Profit From Another Louisiana Natural Disaster?

Baton Rouge - The Republican Party of Louisiana recently requested information from the Louisiana House of Representatives through a public records request concerning Representative Gary Smith’s contracts with British Petroleum following last year’s oil spill.  Smith is refusing to reveal this information as the request is being unreasonably delayed by the State House until after the election. The request, made on October 7th, asks for the House office to provide, among other things, email records from Smith’s legislative email account pertaining to any contracts he, his family or their companies received from the BP Oil Spill Clean up.

“Gary Smith and his family have made money on nearly every natural disaster to hit our state,” Executive Director Jason Doré said. “Representative Gary Smith should be upfront with his constituents about his work with BP and stop using procedural delays to hide the truth.”

In the days after Hurricane Katrina, Smith’s family company, a motorcycle shop, landed $100 million worth of contracts to provide housing for FEMA. In doing so, the politically connected Smith family company had the state RV dealer waive restrictions that would have prevented the Smith company from selling RV’s to FEMA.

Additionally, Smith served as the registered agent for another company that received a $500 million Corps of Engineers contract following Hurricane Katrina.

“Now that Smith is running for Senate, he is touting Governor Jindal’s ethics reform, yet his record shows he is not opposed to inside dealing for himself, his family and friends,” Doré said. “It is time for Gary Smith to come clean on his family’s cleanup work for BP.”

By filing the public records request, the State Party hoped to learn the answers to several important questions that many of Smith’s constituents are asking, including: Did Representative Smith use his position as a state representative to direct BP contracts to his family’s companies? What correspondence does Representative Smith have with BP and other oil spill officials concerning the cleanup work?

Did Representative Smith violate any ethics laws in failing to disclose the BP contracts?

Who is Paying Ben Nevers?

Baton Rouge – After receiving information from several concerned residents in Washington Parish, a public records request was made on behalf of the Republican Party of Louisiana for information on Senator Ben Nevers’ controversial reservoir project. This request is being unreasonably delayed until after the election by the State Senate as Nevers is refusing to reveal the information by hiding behind the Senate Secretary’s office. The request, made on October 7th, asks for the Senate office to provide, among other things, legislative email records from Ben Nevers’ legislative email account pertaining to the controversial Washington Parish Reservoir Commission (WPRC).

“The residents in Washington Parish have raised valid questions and concerns,” Executive Director Jason Doré said. “Senator Nevers should stop using the delay tactics and reveal all of his correspondence to his constituents concerning the WPRC.”

With the help of Nevers, the WPRC has been awarded over $3 million of taxpayer money by the State Bond Commission. Of that more than $3 million, over $2 million has been paid in consulting fees, including to a consultant, Michael Thompson, who was convicted of federal extortion charges in May 2010.

For years, Nevers has been aiding the WPRC in their effort to seize private lands that would destroy over 100 homes, 2 graveyards, and 3 churches, all in an effort to create a water-based recreational area. Having been denied twice by the Army Corp of Engineers, once because of the illegality of the use of imminent domain to take citizens homes in the name of “recreation”, the WPRC continues to seek additional taxpayer money with the help of Nevers.

“Why does Senator Nevers continue to push for such a controversial project that would remove over 100 families from their homes?,” Doré asked. “The taxpayers of Louisiana, and the potentially displaced citizens of Washington Parish deserve to know the true motivation behind Senator Nevers’ actions on behalf of the WPRC.” Does Nevers have any ties to the consulting groups receiving over $2 million in taxpayer money?

Does Nevers stand to gain personally from the proposed reservoir project? Did his son who owned a now bankrupt marine shop in Bogalusa, selling boats and jet skis, stand to profit from the proposed project? Is this a waste of taxpayer money? Why is Nevers continuing to push for this project and spend taxpayer dollars even after the Army Corps and the Environmental Control Agency denied the permits?

The Public Records request also sought information on Senator Nevers correspondence with teacher unions and other anti-education reform groups. As Chairman of the Senate Education Committee, Nevers has stymied education reform. Nevers financial disclosure documents reveal that his company has received $424,019 from the St. Tammany School Board.

“How could Sen. Nevers possibly oppose the educational establishment when the school board has paid him over $400,000?,” Doré asked. “It is pretty clear why the Senate Education Committee was the graveyard for education reform legislation during his chairmanship.”

What is Eric LaFleur Hiding?

Baton Rouge - Senator Eric LaFleur is hiding information regarding a controversial land transaction in Evangeline Parish. The Republican Party of Louisiana made a public records request from the Louisiana Senate for Eric LaFleur’s email records concerning the pressure he allegedly applied to the Evangeline-Ville Platte Parish Recreational Committee Board to purchase a certain parcel of land in Ville Platte for the construction of a recreational complex. LaFleur is hiding behind the Senate clerk’s office, which has stated that it cannot provide the requested emails in time for the election.

“Senator LaFleur needs to stop hiding information and using the Senate clerk as his shield,” Republican Party of Louisiana Executive Director Jason Doré said. “The public deserves to know what happened here and LaFleur should reveal all of his correspondence concerning this controversial land deal.”

Based upon concerns expressed by Evangeline Parish residents, on September 27th, the state party submitted a public records request to the Senate clerk in order to determine the answer to several key questions including:

Did LaFleur threaten to pull funding for the Board’s recreational complex unless it purchased his desired tract of land? Why did LaFleur want to purchase this particular parcel of land given that it was smaller and much more expensive than the tract of land originally selected by the Board? By coercing the Board to purchase this parcel of land, did LaFleur cause the Board to violate Louisiana public bid law?  By using his influence as a legislator and his position as the attorney for Ville Platte to coerce the Board to purchase his desired tract of land, did LaFleur abuse his power?

According to the minutes of the Board meeting, LaFleur encouraged the then Chairman of the Evangeline-Ville Platte Parish Recreational Committee to buy a tract of land in Evangeline Parish after the Board had already agreed to buy a larger, more accessible and cheaper property. Since purchasing LaFleur’s desired property for $376,610.00, the Recreational Committee has struggled financially and has yet to build its recreational complex.

Further, LaFleur is also hiding over $100,000 in campaign spending in violation of state ethics laws. On Wednesday, LaFleur was required to file a 10 day pre-primary campaign finance report covering his campaign expenditures and receipts during the period from September 13th through October 2nd. LaFleur’s filing yesterday showed his campaign had $51,735.03 on hand as of October 2nd. As of September 12th, LaFleur had $159,341.56 on hand. There is no record of the spending and fundraising for the 3 weeks of the filing period.

“Why is Eric LaFleur hiding the past month of his campaign spending and fundraising?,” Doré asked. “As both the chairman and treasurer of his campaign, he is directly responsible for the timely filing of his reports and as an experienced candidate, attorney and lawmaker, we assume he would be able to understand filing deadlines and dates. The people of Senate District 28 deserve a Senator who doesn’t only talk the talk on ethics, but walks the walk.”

Exciting News! New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is coming to Baton Rouge and you’re invited to help us welcome him to the Bayou State. This Thursday, Governor Jindal, Congressmen Cassidy & Scalise, and Chairman Villere will be in attendance and I hope you can make it too! This event is open to the public and is free to attend.

Governor Chris Christie Welcome Rally
Thursday, September 29th 4:30pm (doors open at 3:30)

Louisiana Aircraft Terminal (At the Baton Rouge Airport)
4225 Chuck Yeager Ave. Baton Rouge

See you Thursday!

Jason P. Doré, Executive Director
Republican Party of Louisiana

9:00 AM Communicating Your Message: Who You Are and Why You are Running. When developing your winning message it is important to communicate to voters who you are why you are running, and what you will do once elected. This training helps candidates and their staffs develop the winning message that will help them stand apart from the opposition and get their supporters to cast their vote.

10:00 AM 20 Keys to Winning: The most requested seminar of the 2010 cycle by state parties and state legislative campaign committees. The Keys to winning coaches candidates learn how to think strategically about running a political environment and the key components to success