The owners of a Prairieville construction and engineering company say they’re going to spend upwards of $100,000 to try to unseat Livingston Parish President Mike Grimmer as he attempts to win a third term this fall. Father and son owners of Excel Group, Dave and Brad Roberts, have established a website at truthaboutgrimmer.com and say they’re planning on unveiling some billboards this week and TV commercials as the fall election draws closer. “We just think he’s doing a bad job, and we want to get him out,” Brad Roberts says. “The billboards are supposed to be up Wednesday. We have six, and they’re all in pretty good locations in Livingston Parish. We’re looking at doing some TV ads about two or three weeks before the election about how he has misused his office for personal gain.” Roberts says he and his father have encountered “a couple instances where we’ve been slighted” by Grimmer’s administration in business dealings with Livingston Parish. However, Roberts maintains that concern for the future of Livingston Parish, and not personal interest, is driving the campaign. The website does not endorse either Layton Ricks or Donald Burgess, Grimmer’s two opponents in the race.
Grimmer says he will not be mounting a campaign to take on the accusations made against him on the website, but says every allegation is false. “It’s clearly a trash site. I’m not going to spend a lot of money wrestling it,” Grimmer says. “If anybody wants to know the truth [about the claims made on the website], they can Facebook me and I will send them the facts.” —Steve Sanoski
