(Newswire.net — October 21, 2014) Mandeville, LA — For Louisiana Public Service Commissioner Eric Skrmetta and the law firm of Stone Pigman Walther Whittman, July 7, 2014 was a very big day. On that same day, Skrmetta dished out $220,000.00 in consultant fees to Stone Pigman Walther Wittman, while helping himself to $17,000 in campaign cash from the law firm and its individual attorneys.
According to Skrmetta’s campaign finance disclosures, thirty-five Stone Pigman attorneys wrote Skrmetta’s campaign checks for between $100 and $750 while the law firm itself kicked in another $5,000. Subsequently, according to the minutes of the July 7, 2014 meeting of the Public Service Commission, Skrmetta made the motion to approve another $220,000.000 in consultant fees and expenses for Stone Pigman for its defense of the LPSC against a lawsuit filed by the Occidental Chemical Corporation.
Taking campaign cash from regulated industries and others involved with LPSC business is not unusual for Skrmetta who has received more campaign cash from regulated industries than any other commissioner. However, for a transaction of this size to occur on the VERY SAME DAY is unusual even for a commissioner who opposed the ban on fundraisers within 72-hours of LPSC meetings.
“Eric Skrmetta’s appetite for campaign cash from regulated industries and those, like Stone Pigman, who do business before the commission is legendary,” Forest Wright, candidate for the Louisiana Public Service Commission said. “And his distaste for ethical restrictions on his ability to raise these funds is equally well known. And yet, to see him raise this much money from Stone Pigman and turn around and hand them a fat new contract on the same day, is shocking, even for him.
“As Skrmetta’s haul came not just within 72-hours but on the exact day that he extended the Stone Pigman contract, I strongly believe it is Skrmetta’s obligation to explain whether these contributions came by way of a fundraiser that would be in strict violation of the very ethics rules he opposed on his first day in office.
“It’s time that the consumers of Louisiana get the kind of representation they deserve and not the kind that is bought by special interests,” Wright said. “As your commissioner, I will refuse to step up to the trough of regulated industries and special interests. I will represent the consumer who writes checks to pay their bills, not those who write checks to politicians.
“The issue is integrity, which is undermined when a Public Service Commissioner takes a cut off the top from the contracts they authorize in the form of campaign contributions. We pay the price from these bad dealings, not only in dollars but also in the erosion of trust that happens all too frequently when elected leaders put themselves and their own power before the interest of the public. It’s time to turn the page on the corrupt practices of the past six years. I stand for higher ethical standards and offer voters the independence and integrity they deserve in their Commissioner.”
Here is the relevant section from the Minutes of the July 7, 2014 meeting of the Louisiana Public Service Commission:
“In re: Discussion and Possible Vote of Expansion of Scope of Work and Budget for Stone Pigman and Exeter Associates, Inc. On motion of Chairman Skrmetta, seconded by Commissioner Campbell, with Commissioner Boissiere and Commissioner Angelle concurring and Commissioner Holloway opposing, the Commission voted to approve the expansion in scope of work and budget for Stone Pigman and Exeter Associates, Inc. Stone Pigman’s budget for U-32628 was $165,000 in fees and $10,000 in expenses.
“Stone Pigman has remaining in its budget $104,000 in fees and $9,600 in expenses. The Commission approved additional budget, over and above those remaining amounts, of fees not to exceed $364,000 and expenses not to exceed $30,000 through December 31, 2014 for a total budget of $468,000 in fees and $39,600 in expenses.” (Source: Minutes of LAPSC Business and Executive Meeting, 7/9/14)
And here is the list of contributions from Stone Pigman and Stone Pigman Attorneys who contributed to Skrmetta on July 7, 2014:
(Source: Eric Skrmetta Finance Disclosures: Louisiana Secretary of State Ethics Division)
| Name | City | State | Date | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HIRSCHEL T ABBOTT JR |
New Orleans | LA | 7/7/2014 | $100.00 |
| BARRY W ASHE | New Orleans | LA | 7/7/2014 | $500.00 |
| STEPHEN G BULLOCK |
New Orleans | LA | 7/7/2014 | $500.00 |
| JOSEPH CAVERLY | New Orleans | LA | 7/7/2014 | $500.00 |
| DOUGLAS J COCHRAN |
St. Francisvle | LA | 7/7/2014 | $200.00 |
| JOHN W COLBERT | New Orleans | LA | 7/7/2014 | $500.00 |
| J DALTON COURSON |
New Orleans | LA | 7/7/2014 | $100.00 |
| NOEL J DARCE | Mandeville | LA | 7/7/2014 | $500.00 |
| MARY L DUMESTRE | New Orleans | LA | 7/7/2014 | $500.00 |
| JOHN P FARNSWORTH |
New Orleans | LA | 7/7/2014 | $325.00 |
| JOHN M FEZIO | New Orleans | LA | 7/7/2014 | $50.00 |
| MICHAEL R FONTHAM |
New Orleans | LA | 7/7/2014 | $750.00 |
| SAMANTHA GRIFFIN |
New Orleans | LA | 7/7/2014 | $200.00 |
| JAMES C GULOTTA JR |
New Orleans | LA | 7/7/2014 | $500.00 |
| LESLI D HARRIS | New Orleans | LA | 7/7/2014 | $100.00 |
| KATHRYN M KNIGHT |
Metairie | LA | 7/7/2014 | $150.00 |
| ELIZABETH B LANDRY |
New Orleans | LA | 7/7/2014 | $500.00 |
| WAYNE J LEE | New Orleans | LA | 7/7/2014 | $500.00 |
| JUSTIN P LEMAIRE |
New Orleans | LA | 7/7/2014 | $100.00 |
| HEATHER S LONIAN |
New Orleans | LA | 7/7/2014 | $100.00 |
| PAUL J MASINTER | New Orleans | LA | 7/7/2014 | $300.00 |
| MICHAEL W MCKAY | Baton Rouge | LA | 7/7/2014 | $250.00 |
| ANDREW DAVID MENDEZ |
New Orleans | LA | 7/7/2014 | $300.00 |
| LARRY ORLANSKY | New Orleans | LA | 7/7/2014 | $500.00 |
| LAURA WALKER PLUNKETT |
New Orleans | LA | 7/7/2014 | $250.00 |
| MICHAEL R SCHNEIDER |
New Orleans | LA | 7/7/2014 | $500.00 |
| DANA M SHELTON | Metairie | LA | 7/7/2014 | $350.00 |
| JAMES EDWARDS SLATON |
Abita Springs | LA | 7/7/2014 | $200.00 |
| STONE PIGMAN WALTHER WITTMANN LLC |
New Orleans | LA | 7/7/2014 | $5,000.00 |
| WILLIAM D TREEBY |
New Orleans | LA | 7/7/2014 | $500.00 |
| MICHAEL QUIRK WALSHE JR |
Metairie | LA | 7/7/2014 | $250.00 |
| SCOTT WHITTAKER | Kenner | LA | 7/7/2014 | $500.00 |
| DOROTHY H WIMBERLY |
New Orleans | LA | 7/7/2014 | $500.00 |
| RACHEL W WISDOM | New Orleans | LA | 7/7/2014 | $500.00 |
| PHIL WITTMANN | New Orleans | LA | 7/7/2014 | $500.00 |
| PAUL LEWIS ZIMMERING |
New Orleans | LA | 7/7/2014 | $500.00 |
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