New PAC spent $21,500 fighting library renewal

A new political action committee created last week has spent at least $21,500 urging voters to defeat a Lafayette Parish library tax renewal Saturday.

The PAC involves some of the same people behind an unsuccessful 2017 push to kill the re-dedication of part of an existing tax for drainage and an arts/entertainment/economic development initiative.

Lafayette Parish voters go to the polls Saturday to renew two parish-wide property taxes, one of them for maintenance and operation of public libraries.

The administrators of a Facebook page called Lafayette Citizens Against Taxes have been lobbying hard against the library tax renewal for weeks. The page is run in large part by Michael Lunsford of St. Martin Parish.

Also this week, residents received in the mail slick flyers with graphics and messages similar to those used on the Facebook page. The flyers were paid for by Citizens for a New Louisiana.

That's a new PAC registered April 19 as a non-profit corporation, according to filings with the Louisiana Secretary of State Office.

Lunsford, Chris Comeaux and Hannah Pickle are listed as officers.

As required of PACs, Citizens for a New Louisiana filed a campaign spending report Tuesday with the Louisiana Ethics Administration. Lunsford is listed as committee chairperson.

The group reported spending $21,500, including $3,750 to KPEL Radio for advertising associated with the April 28 election.

The PAC also reported spending $17,750 for TV and Facebook advertising and direct mail products for the election. The money went to Brave New Television, which has a Baton Rouge address.

Comeaux is listed as the manager and agent for Brave New Television, with a Denham Springs address. According to the secretary of state's filings, the business is active but not in good standing for failing to file a report for nearly two years.

The committee's report says it received no contributions specifically for advertising, but instead used money "from its general treasury funds."

Who's who

Michael Lunsford

Administers Lafayette Citizens Against Taxes Facebook page (he says as a volunteer)

Chairman of Citizens for a New Louisiana PAC

Born and raised in Lafayette

Family owns property in Lafayette Parish

Lives in St. Martin Parish

Chairman of St. Martin Parish Republican Party

Chris Comeaux

Officer in Citizens for a New Louisiana PAC

Manager and agent of Brave New Television in Baton Rouge

Brave New Television received $17,750 for TV and Facebook advertising and direct mailers opposing the library tax renewal

Chairperson of Policies for Louisiana's Future, which paid for mailers opposing the 2017 tax re-dedication for drainage in Lafayette Parish

Brave New Television received $9,000 in November 2017 for direct mail and digital media purchases and digital media production opposing the tax re-dedication

2017 campaign manager for Congressman Clay Higgins

Lunsford told The Daily Advertiser Thursday "local folks contributed to make it happen."

They're mostly people who attended city-parish council meetings and felt like they were talked down to or are frustrated with local government, he said.

Their names do not appear on the report.

The group has ties to Policies for Louisiana's Future, a PAC that paid for mailers in 2017 opposing the tax re-dedication. Comeaux is listed by the secretary of state's office as an officer in the group.

Campaign finance reports from November 2017 show Policies for Louisiana's Future paid Comeaux's Brave New Television $9,000 for mailers, digital media purchases and digital media production opposing the re-dedication.

Lunsford said Policies for Louisiana's Future was used for the 2017 anti-tax campaign because another PAC had not been created. Citizens for a New Louisiana was created because of "misconceptions" that Policies for Louisiana's Future was an out of town PAC.

Renewals on Saturday's ballot

A 1.61-mill property tax throughout Lafayette Parish for library maintenance, operations and improvements.

A 1.17-mill property tax throughout Lafayette Parish for juvenile detention facilities.

A 1.29-mill tax in the city of Lafayette for street and road maintenance.

A 1.92-mill tax tin the city of Lafayette for recreation and playgrounds maintenance and operations.

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