Ethics complaint filed against Mike Nerren

This letter was sent to the Louisiana Ethics Board today. 

George Peyton Cole, Jr.
Brigadier General USAF (ret)
Bossier City, LA 71111

December 3, 2012

Louisiana Ethics Administration Program

P.O. Box 4368

Baton Rouge, LA 70821

Dear Ethics Board Members,

I am writing for the purpose of filing an official ethics complaint against Mr. Michael J. Nerren, candidate for District Judge in the 26^th Judicial District Court in Louisiana. I am filing this complaint because I believe that Mr. Nerren has violated the Louisiana Election Code, Part II 18:1491.7. There are three ways that I believe Mr. Nerren has violated this code.

On September 17, 2012, Mr. Nerren issued a $2,000 payment for “Consulting” to Mr. Julian Darby. Mr. Darby is listed as the sole agent of United Independents for Democracy, a Bossier City Non-Profit Corporation. On and prior to Election Day on November 6, 2012, Mr. Darby’s group, illegally using the acronym “UID”, distributed a flier urging voters to cast their ballots for Presidential candidate Barack Obama, as well as Candidate for District Judge, Mr. Mike Nerren (see original flier enclosed). Mr. Nerren’s campaign never reported expenditure to United Independents for Democracy or an In-kind expenditure to Mr. Barack Obama’s campaign for President.

On November 27, 2012, when asked to address the Bossier Parish Republican Executive Committee regarding an endorsement of Mr. Nerren’s opponent based on the fact that Mr. Nerren paid for a ballot featuring himself and Mr. Obama, Mr. Nerren admitted to getting involved with Mr. Darby’s group. Mr. Nerren is quoted as having said the following, “My campaign made an attempt to have the black vote turn out and we got involved with a group to canvas the black community. Somehow that turned into a ballot which I did not authorize and I had never seen until it showed up in three places.”

The ethics violations that I would point out is the fact that Mr. Nerren violated Louisiana Election Code Part II 18:1491.7 (13) The full name and address of each person to whom an expenditure has been made by the committee during the reporting period.  The amount, purpose, and date of each such expenditure, and the name and address of and office sought by candidates on whose behalf each such expenditure was made shall be reported.

-          This first violation is that Mr. Nerren’s campaign reported having paid $2,000 to Mr. Darby, when in fact this money was used by United Independents for Democracy to create a ballot for canvassing the black community, as admitted by Mr. Nerren.

-          The second violation is that Mr. Nerren’s campaign reported that the purpose of the $2,000 was for “Consulting” when in fact, this money was used for the production of the enclosed ballot and presumably for manpower to distribute this ballot.

-          Finally, as there was no record found of Mr. Obama’s campaign paying for their portion of this ballot, Mr. Nerren’s campaign presumably paid for the entire ballot. If this is the case, Mr. Nerren’s campaign again violated the ethics code by failing to report an in-kind donation to the Presidential Campaign of Mr. Barack Obama. Mr. Nerren also violated the Louisiana Ethics Code by failing for report in-kind expenditures for the ballot initiatives that were supported by the ballot that he paid to have produced. Those initiatives include CA NO. 1 and the School District Local Option.

Please take these allegations into consideration, as I feel that the violation of the Louisiana Ethics Code by a candidate for District Judge is a very important matter. The citizens of this district do not take lightly the violation of state laws by a candidate who is seeking an office sworn to interpret the law. I expect a speedy response to this letter and I appreciate your consideration in this matter.

Sincerely,

George Peyton Cole, Jr.

Brigadier General USAF (ret)