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The Opelousas Downtown Development District (ODDD) recently announced $100,000 in grants to 12 businesses. Michael Lunsford wanted to know three things: who got the money, where they’re located, and what they’re going to do with it. That seemingly simple question has now produced two letters from an attorney and a four-week wait for answers. Meanwhile, ODDD is sitting on roughly $9 million in cash and has spent millions on other projects—including a football stadium. So where is all this money going?
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Behind Every Blade of Grass
There’s a running joke around our office that Citizens for a New Louisiana is hiding behind every blade of grass. We’ve heard stories about government officials reconsidering questionable decisions because they were worried we’d find out. That’s a remarkable return on an investment we never made: "reaping where we did not sow, and gathering where we scattered no seed." But there’s something important in here, too.
Our little flashlight has earned us a reputation for bringing things to light. Now many officials act as if someone is watching, even when there isn't. That’s the real value of our government transparency work. It's more than just exposing wrongdoing after the fact. We've created an environment where public officials think twice.
Of course, we can’t actually be behind every blade of grass. There are thousands of public meetings, countless government transactions, and more questionable decisions than our small team could ever hope to investigate. But with your help, we can keep them wondering.
If you believe government works better when someone is paying attention, please consider supporting our work.
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