In a strange twist to a quiet race in northeast Louisiana’s Senate District 35 race, candidate Stuart Cathey turned himself in to be arrested at the Monroe Police Dept. for an unpaid seatbelt violation from 2009.
“I got the ticket as I was being deployed to Afghanistan,” said Cathey, who is still an Army reservist. “In the eight days between when I got it and I was deployed, I had a lot more on my mind than a $25 seatbelt violation.”
Over the past six years, Cathey said he has renewed his driver’s license and been to court for a vehicle accident. He says a bench warrant or unpaid ticket were never brought up. He said he found out about the bench warrant the day after the qualifying period closed earlier this month.
“I tried to go and pay it, but I was told to turn myself in, be booked and bond out, and then I could address the fine,” he said.
Cathey said he plans to “take control of the narrative” and get his side of the story out.
“It was politically motivated,” he said.
Cathey is running against House Appropriations Chairman Jim Fannin for the seat being vacated by term-limited Sen. Bob Kostelka.
“We were completely unaware of this situation and we have nothing to do with this,” said Eric Mahaffey of Quest Communications, Fannin’s campaign consultant.
Polls Put Emphasis On Coast
Moving the state’s 50-year coastal master plan forward will be a central task for the next governor, and 94 percent of voters believe that commitment to that task is crucial for receiving their support.
Sponsored by the National Audubon Society and conducted by the Baton Rouge-based Southern Media and Opinion Research, the 900-sample poll was taken July 27-30.
Around 90 percent of those polled said they wanted the next governor to ensure funds currently dedicated to coastal restoration are not spent on anything else. Another 87 percent said they wanted the next governor to work to identify and secure additional funding for future projects as well.
The poll also found the following:
— 85 percent believe restoration of coastal Louisiana should be a high priority for the new governor.
— 95 percent want the new governor to commit to move quickly and get started building coastal restoration projects.
— 78 percent believe protecting and restoring coastal Louisiana is as important as other issues facing the state.
— 97 percent say Louisiana’s coastal areas and wetlands are important to them personally.
— 66 percent indicate support for river diversions to build new land in Louisiana.
Some May Be Dropped From Ballot
The secretary of state’s office has finished printing the ballots for the Oct. 24 election. But there are still a handful of candidates who may see their names removed in the coming weeks.
So far the state has had to remove 50 candidates from races around the state, including 10 who were disqualified through legal challenges and another 40 who have chosen to withdraw from their election contests, according to Meg Casper, a spokesperson for the secretary of state.
“This is up to 8 percent of the entire field of qualified candidates; up from 5 percent in last year’s congressional races,” Casper said. “It became a real problem in 2014, and we’re not sure why we’re seeing more withdraws and disqualifications. The Ethics Administration has been challenging more candidates on their qualifications over the last couple years, though.”
Of the 575 active races on the October ballot, 16 races have active legal challenges pending that could result in candidates being removed. There have been 43 challenges overall this cycle.
If a candidate is removed from a race in the coming weeks, there will be a posted notice located near voting booths explaining the situation and the affected elections. The printed notices first appearred when early voting began on Oct. 10.
Assessors’ Races Stacked
Pointe Coupee Assessor Jimmy Laurent, president of the Louisiana Assessors’ Assoc., said he wasn’t expecting so much change among the ranks of assessors this cycle. “It’s surprising to me,” he said. “I thought there would only be four or five competitive races.”
Instead, nine longtime assessors around the state decided to retire and did not qualify for re-election; another 13 incumbents drew last-minute competitors.
“We’re seeing a lot of chief deputies running for the open seats, but I cannot attribute anything to why we’re seeing incumbents being challenged like this,” said Laurent.
Dem-leaning PAC Is Ready
Bayou Blue PAC, directed by New Orleans attorney and Houma native Ravi Sangisetty, has $95,000 in the bank, with the hopes of doubling it between now and the primary. The PAC aims to influence a small handful of House seats.
Sangisetty told LaPolitics that he will likely focus his independent expenditures on field strategy and get-out-the-vote efforts.
“I wanted to be a part of the rebuilding effort for Democrats, and you do that by starting with the foundation and building up,” he said. “But we’ll be involved in one or two all-Republican races too.”
Among the targeted races are House District 53, where incumbent Rep. Lenar Whitney, R-Houma, is facing off against attorney Tanner Magee and Terrebonne Parish School Board Member Brenda Babin; and House District 103, where incumbent Rep. Ray Garofalo, R-Chalmette, has three challengers, including St. Bernard Parish Councilmen George Cavignac and Casey Hunnicutt and Leola Anderson of Chalmette.
The PAC, however, has not yet announced whom it will be supporting.
For more Louisiana political news, visit www.LaPolitics.com or follow Jeremy Alford on Twitter @LaPoliticsNow.
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