Civitas Targets Moral Monday Demonstrators

By Chad Nance

 

North Carolina oligarch Art Pope’s Civitas Institute has taken it upon themselves to publicly identify, mock, and attempt to target for retribution North Carolina citizens who have participated in peaceful civil disobedience during the recent Moral Monday protest in North Carolina.

Their site now includes complete dossiers on arrested demonstrators and publicizes their photographs, voter registration, and personal information. Over 99% of Civitas’ funding comes from Pat McCrory sugar daddy and NC budget director Art Pope. According to Civitas President Francis De Luca’s Linkln account the mission of Civitas is:

We do state level policy and political analysis including extensive public opinion polling for North Carolina. We also analyze state legislative districts and assign them a partisan score to indicate the likelihood of them supporting candidates from the two main parties.

No where in that description does targeting citizens who don’t agree with the policies you are trying to push come into play.  Civitas is a 501(c)3 organization.

Donations to 501(c)3 organizations are tax-exempt under section 501(c)3 of the U.S. tax code, “unlike donations to political and lobbying organizations.  501(c)3 “charities do not have to report their contributors to the Federal Election Commission, the IRS or any federal agency.”  According to the law, charities must only conduct nonpartisan voter activities to keep their tax-exempt status. But the law also allows charities to register and mobilize likely Democratic or Republican voters.”

In exchange for being able to accept tax-deductible donations, the IRS demands that 501(c)(3)’s refrain from “activities which constitute participation or intervention in a political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to a candidate.” Banned activities would include “the publication or distribution of written or printed statements or the making of oral statements on behalf of or in opposition to such a candidate.”

CCD decided that turn about is fair play. Below is a list of Civitas employees and donors, their photos if available, their voter registration, their ethnicity, and their addresses.

 

James Arthur Pope – Political Sugar Daddy/Oligarch

JAMES A POPE
3324 GRANVILLE DR
RALEIGH
27609
WAKE
Male
White
Not Hispanic or Not Latino
01/01/1974
Party: REPUBLICAN

 

 

Francis De Luca

Francis has a varied background that includes owning a small business, political consulting and working in government. He served on active and reserve duty with the United States Marine Corps where he retired with the rank of Colonel. He is a Naval Aviator and flew combat missions in the first Persian Gulf War and was deployed to the Middle East in 2003 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Francis has an undergraduate degree in Political Science from the University of North Carolina – Wilmington, and a Master’s Degree in Political Science from the University of West Florida. He is currently the President of the Civitas Institute and Civitas Action.

FRANCIS X DELUCA
200 PRESTON ARBOR LN
CARY NC 27513
County: WAKE
Gender: Male
Race: White
Ethnicity: Not Hispanic or Not Latino
Registration Date: 01/01/1989
Party: REPUBLICAN

 

Brian Balfour – Director of Policy and Operations

Brian’s work has been published in several newspapers across the state, including the Raleigh News & Observer, the Greensboro News Record, the Fayetteville Observer, and the Charlotte Business Journal. Brian has also been a guest on numerous radio stations across the state, and his work has been featured on the Drudge Report, Fox News and the Rush Limbaugh radio program. Brian earned a Master’s degree in Economics from Wayne State University in Detroit and received a Bachelor’s of Business Administration from the University of Cincinnati.

BRIAN THOMAS BALFOUR
1692 MAIZEFIELD LN
FUQUAY VARINA, NC 27526
County: WAKE
Gender: Male
Race: White
Ethnicity: Not Hispanic or Not Latino
Registration Date: 06/29/2007
Party: UNAFFILIATED

 

Dr. Robert Luebke – Senior Policy Analyst

Dr. Luebke’s primary area of interest is education policy and reform.  Luebke’s professional experience has been varied. He has worked as a Legislative Assistant with the Wisconsin State Legislature, a Policy and Planning Analyst with the Wisconsin Department of Administration and as Research Director for a higher education consulting firm in Washington, D.C.  In addition to these responsibilities, Luebke served as a staff writer for Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush (Sr.). More recently, Luebke has worked as a researcher/writer with the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute.  He has assisted numerous public and private efforts dedicated to improving education.  Since joining Civitas, Luebke has written on a variety of education subjects. He has also developed training sessions for school board members as well as those interested in learning the tools of investigative journalism. Dr. Luebke holds a B.A. in Economics and a Ph.D. in higher education administration and public policy, both from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

ROBERT VINCENT LUEBKE
905 SEVENTH AVE, 14D
GARNER, NC 27529
County: WAKE
Gender: Male
Race: White
Ethnicity: Undesignated
Registration Date: 07/11/2007
Party: REPUBLICAN

 

Jim Tynen – Director of Communications

Tynen works with the Institute’s team to reach out to the public and opinion leaders in a variety of media, including the Civitas Capitol Connection newspaper. He is also available to assist journalists.

He has both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from Northwestern University. In his career he has worked in a variety of positions, including student media adviser at the University of Pittsburgh, copy editor and writer for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and most recently as editorial page editor for the Daily Herald of Provo, Utah.

JAMES EDWARD TYNEN
902 NW MAYNARD RD
CARY, NC 27513
County: WAKE
Gender: Male
Race: White
Ethnicity: Not Hispanic or Not Latino
Registration Date: 04/23/2012
Party: UNAFFILIATED

 

Susan J. Myrick – Elections Analyst

Susan has more than 25 years of experience in North Carolina campaigns and elections.  In both federal and state campaigns, Susan’s focus has been on fundraising and finance.  Most recently, Susan worked as database administrator with the Wake County Board of Elections where her responsibilities included redistricting and geo-coding.

Susan now researches and writes about North Carolina elections and campaigns with a focus on election reforms.  She is also responsible for election analysis and election data compilation to be used in research tools such as the Civitas Vote Tracker and maps.  Susan participates as a Civitas Institute trainer with focus on voter targeting, campaign finance and voter fraud.

SUSAN J MYRICK
6204 BIG SANDY DR
RALEIGH, NC 27616
County: WAKE
Gender: Female
Race: White
Ethnicity: Not Hispanic or Not Latino
Registration Date: 09/07/2001
Party: REPUBLICAN

 

Alexander Guin – Director of Development
As Director of Development at the Civitas Institute, Alexander oversees the Institute’s membership and fundraising operations.  He supports Civitas and its vision of a freer, more prosperous North Carolina by building and strengthening relationships with donors who share the goal of advancing the best conservative policy solutions across the state.  A native North Carolinian, Alexander joined Civitas after a five-year stint in Washington, DC where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in philosophy from The Catholic University of America and worked with a DC non-profit in a development role.   Please don’t hesitate to contact him directly with your donation or membership questions. His direct office line is (919) 747-8061.  His email is [email protected]

ALEXANDER MICHAEL GUIN
613 MACON PL
RALEIGH NC 27609
County: WAKE
Gender: Male
Race: White
Ethnicity: Not Hispanic or Not Latino
Registration Date: 10/23/2010
Party: REPUBLICAN

 

Angela Hight – Policy Analyst
Angela’s education includes graduating in 2002 from the University of South Carolina majoring in Psychology with an emphasis in Education and her Master’s Degree from University of Phoenix in Criminal Justice. While working in Youth Ministry, Retail, and Sales Angela found out that she really missed the Research she did in College. With her acceptance into the Liberty@Work program, Angela believes, hopes, and will contribute to the Mission at Civitas.

ANGELA MARY HIGHT
217 KANDEMOR LN
ROCKY MOUNT NC 27804
County: NASH
Gender: Female
Race: White
Ethnicity: Not Hispanic or Not Latino
Registration Date: 08/10/2009
Party: REPUBLICAN

 

Background information pulled from the Civitas Institute website and the NC State Board of Elections.