Latest news with #MissouriEthicsCommission
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Missouri campaign watchdog is once again unable to function due to vacancies
The Missouri Ethics Commission meeting Oct. 16 at its Jefferson City offices. Members at the time, from left, were Jim Martin, Whitney Smith, Robin Wheeler Sanders and Jeremy Schneider. Attorney Scott Pool, the commission's counsel, is at the far right (Rudi Keller/Missouri Independent). Last fall, St. Louis attorney Brad Ketcher read the news that a Republican candidate for the Missouri Senate was using money from his church to help fund his campaign. As the chief of staff to former Democratic Gov. Mel Carnahan in the 1990s, Ketcher helped establish the Missouri Ethics Commission, a state agency that enforces campaign finance and ethics laws. He was so 'appalled' when the Senate candidate in question won the seat in November that Ketcher filed an ethics complaint asking the commission to investigate. But in April, he learned his complaint was getting thrown out because there weren't enough commission members to convene a meeting to review it. 'Because there were not four commissioners able to consider the investigation within the statutory timeframe, the commission could take no action on this complaint,' the commission said in dismissing the complaint. The complaint is among 16 others that have been dismissed in the more than 100 business days since the commission last had enough members to reach a quorum. It's the second time in less than a year that the commission hasn't had enough members to enforce state campaign and ethics laws. Missouri Ethics Commission finally has a quorum — but still can't meet or take action Ketcher refiled the complaint last week in hopes that the governor will fill the commission vacancies. When he served as Carnahan's right hand, Ketcher said he'd never want to read a headline: 'Governor fails to appoint ethics panel.' 'Do I want that headline?' he said. 'Hell no, I don't want that headline. Even though there's probably nothing nefarious going on, that's what it looks like to the rest of the world — like you're trying to hide something, you're up to something or trying to protect somebody.' A spokeswoman for Gov. Mike Kehoe, who was sworn into office in January, did not respond to a request for comment. On Jan. 13, former Gov. Mike Parson withdrew two commissioners who he'd appointed months earlier but who had not yet been confirmed by the Missouri Senate. That left only two of the six seats on the commission filled. The last time the commission had enough members to meet was Nov. 20. Ketcher said it's challenging for the ethics commission to get a new governor's attention in the middle of his first legislative session. 'I would say it's probably doubly a challenge for an acting executive director,' Ketcher said. Stacey Heislen, acting executive director of the commission, declined to comment. State law requires an investigation be completed within 90 business days of a complaint, which is then presented to the commission to determine whether there are reasonable grounds of a violation or whether it should be dismissed. However, for campaign-finance complaints 60 days from an election, the investigations must be completed within 15 days. The law also requires at least four commission members for a quorum, and at least four affirmative votes shall be required for any action or recommendation of the commission. The state faced the same problem last year for several months, before Parson appointed Jeremy Schneider of Macon in April, Whitney Smith of Des Peres in June and Jim Martin of Perryville in July. With Robin Wheeler Sanders serving as the chair since 2022, the commission finally had a quorum after those three appointments. However, only Sanders and Schneider remain after Parson withdrew his appointments for Smith and Martin. The law states the vacancies are to be filled within 75 days. 'State government has made crime fighting a priority, and that should include enforcement of the ethics and nepotism and conflict of interest laws,' Ketcher said, 'and they ought to move promptly to get a full commission in place to deal with those important issues.' Missouri's governor appoints commission members from nominations received by the congressional districts of the political parties that received the two highest votes for the last gubernatorial election. Members are prohibited from running for office, making contributions for or against a candidate or issue, working as a lobbyist, for the state or any political subdivision, being an officer of a political party or participating in an election except for voting. The state Senate must then confirm the appointments. For Ketcher's complaint, he believes the Senate confirmation raises an 'interesting' question. The focus of his complaint is Joe Nicola, a Republican from Grain Valley now serving in the Senate and able to vote on nominees for the ethics commission. 'Let's assume the governor does appoint some commissioners, is Nicola gonna basically get to vote for or against his jury pool?' Ketcher said. 'And I think that will be a moment of truth for the state Senate and for him.' Nicola told The Independent that Ketcher's complaint was 'ridiculous.' 'My church made donations to a PAC,' Nicola said, but he doesn't believe it's against regulations because his church isn't a registered nonprofit.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Complaint claims county exec used public funds on Prop B mailers
CLAYTON, Mo. – In a newly filed complaint with the Missouri Secretary of State's Office, St. Louis County Executive Sam Page is accused of improperly using public funds. Tom Sullivan submitted the complaint after postcards started arriving in voters' mail that contained information about Proposition B, the ballot measure that would give the county council the ability to remove department heads. Sullivan says he sent two separate complaints: one to the Secretary of State claiming Page spent public funding on the postcards, the other to the Missouri Ethics Commission claiming Page violated campaign finance disclosure laws. That complaint has to do with fliers that were distributed that contained similar information and wording to the postcards. Sullivan showed FOX 2 News an invoice which shows a company billing the county executive's office about $5,000 for close to 55,000 Prop B postcards. 'Anytime you have tax dollars being spent, I think it's a concern,' Sullivan said. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now When asked for an interview, the county executive's office sent FOX 2 a statement saying, 'We were happy to see Mr. Sullivan publicly come out against Prop B with letters to the editor. 'He understands how flawed the proposal is. He also understands that it is proper, legal, and necessary to educate voters on ballot language that the circuit court called 'misleading, insufficient, inaccurate, argumentative, prejudicial, and unfair.' Why Mr. Sullivan would want to keep voters in the dark goes against his long-time declaration as a government watchdog.' Sullivan says his complaint is about the finances, not Proposition B. He says the postcards went beyond educating voters. '100% is telling you how terrible things are going to be if Proposition B is passed. There's no objectivity. They're not informational. They're all opposed to Proposition B,' Sullivan said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
SPS school board candidate accepts $100K+ in campaign money for second year in a row
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – With the April 8th municipal election one week away, the race for school board seats in the area has become a financial battleground, with candidates reporting substantial campaign donations. Twice as much money funded campaigns for SPS school board compared to city council According to the latest disclosures submitted to the Missouri Ethics Commission, several contenders are raising impressive sums to fund their campaigns, with one surpassing $100,000 in donations and another not far behind. Gail Smart Leads the Pack Gail Smart has raised the most significant amount, reporting a total of $102,108.65 as of her eight-day pre-election disclosure. Ozarks First sat down with Smart to see why she wants a spot on the school board. Sarah Hough Follows Closely Following closely is Sarah Hough, who has raised $93,041.79 in campaign funds as of March 31, 2025. Watch our one-on-one interview with Hough here. Kelly Byrne and David Myers Trail Behind Other candidates' have also reported increased campaign donations since the last filing deadline, but their 'fundraising totals are considerably lower. Incumbent Kelly Byrne reported $37,616 in donations and David Myers reported $7,955. Ozarks First previously interviewed Byrne about his priorities if elected. You can also watch our interview with Myers here. A Pattern of Growing Campaign Finances This year's race mirrors last year's election, where another school board candidate, Maryam Mohammadkhani, also surpassed the $100,000 threshold in campaign donations, reporting a total of $103,764 in 2024. The increasing financial stakes reflect the changing landscape of the school board race and the potential influence external fundraising could have on local education policies. As candidates prepare for the final days before the election, voters can expect a surge in advertising, mailers, and other forms of campaigning as these candidates look to capitalize on their financial resources. Election Day is set for April 8th, and with less than a week to go, it remains to be seen whether these financial totals will translate into votes at the polls. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Twice as much money funded campaigns for SPS school board compared to city council
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Ozarks First Investigates is following the historic spending behind the Springfield school board race in recent years, how it compares to campaign spending for Springfield City Council and one controversial landlord whose name keeps appearing among local, state, and U.S. politicians. Candidates Gail Smart and Sarah Hough are leading campaign fundraising efforts. Smart, whose husband Clif Smart recently retired from his position as the President of Missouri State University, reported $78,833 in campaign donations as of March 4, 2025. Sarah Hough, who was previously married to Republican Missouri State Senator Lincoln Hough, reported $64,968 in campaign contributions 40 days prior to the April 8, 2025, municipal election. In that same period, incumbent candidate Kelly Byrne reported $11,050 in campaign donations and candidate David Myers reported $710 in campaign donations, respectively. Campaign contributions are expected to increase by the next mandated Missouri Ethics Commission filing, which is due eight days before the April 8 election. Jerry Hathaway, a voter in Springfield says the spending has gotten out of control. 'It's gotten way out of control because it's been way too politicized in what should be nonpartisan elections,' Hathaway said. We talked to three of the four candidates today, who said the massive amount of money fueling the school board race isn't inherently bad. David Myers 'I'm a parent who is far more interested in teacher empowerment and turning around these failing test scores, retaining staff, maintaining discipline in the classroom than how much money I can bring in,' said Myers. 'We're working on a shoestring budget, but more money does not equal being more qualified to be on the school board.' Kelly Byrne 'On one hand, it shows the sense of urgency that the community feels towards the state of our schools and they value it, and, you know, want to make change,' Byrne said. 'On the other hand, you have this sort of establishment that's been ignited that has seemingly endless funds to cut checks for to sort of protect the sort of establishment hold on school board and city government.' Gail Smart 'I think the more important thing is, is not how much money is at the moment since we can raise a lot of money, but not how much money is being raised, but who is contributing that money?' said Smart. 'If anyone bothered to look at my financials statement with the Missouri Ethics Commission, they could see exactly who gave me money, and it is from people all over the political spectrum. Independents, Republicans, Democrats, people with no party affiliation, everybody in between.' Sarah Hough did not respond to our request for comment by the time of publication, but previously interviewed with Ozarks First about her campaign goals. Ozarks First Investigates found multiple SPS school board candidates accepted donations from people or committees with ties to Elliott Lodging or its owner, Gordon Elliott. Our investigative team has been following reports of unsafe or unsanitary living conditions at Elliott's properties for years now. Springfield Renters credit KOLR 10 Investigates with new home Hough's top donation came from the Lincoln PAC, a Republican Political Action Committee formed in 2017 to support her ex-husband Lincoln. Records show the man who organized the PAC, Dale Deplogle, is the CEO of Elliott Lodging, according to his LinkedIn. Records show Smart also accepted $1,000 from the owner of Elliott Lodging, Gordon Elliott. Smart told Ozarks First that Elliott is a colleague of her husband Clif. Previously, Elliott served as Chair of the Board of Governors at MSU. Landlord denies breach of contract over rotting and mold dispute In 2023, while looking at Elliott's real estate holdings, our investigative team also found Elliott recently ran a non-profit for 12 years while U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt was in office called Friends of Roy Blunt. According to the Missouri Ethics Commission, Elliott also served as Springfield Mayor Ken McClure's campaign committee treasurer since 2014. McClure's campaign committee was terminated in May 2023. Elliott contributed money to multiple campaigns for Springfield city council members as well. Ozarks First Investigates added up how much money the sitting school board raised in campaign contributions in the most recent election cycle. Seven school board members collectively received nearly half a million dollars, or about $491,598, in the latest election before assuming their board positions. Ozarks First Investigates found that's about $70,000 on average per board member and more than double the amount of money poured into campaigns for current Springfield City Council members, excluding the mayor. SPS School Board President Danielle Kincaid $74,714 in campaign contributions when re-elected in 2024 Current candidates Gail Smart and Sarah Hough donated to Danielle Kincaid's campaign in 2024. Judy Brunner $87,123 raised in campaign contributions when elected in 2023 Springfield developer Bryan Magers donated $8,000 to Brunner's campaign and is also a top donor for candidate Gail Smart, according to campaign finance documents filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission. Kelly Byrne $48,504 raised in campaign contributions when elected in 2022 Steve Makoski $47,177 campaign contributions when elected in 2022 Maryam Mohammadkhani $103,764 campaign contributions when re-elected in 2024 Mohammadkhani donated $5,000 to Kelly Byrne's campaign. Byrne is running for a second term in the April 2025 election. Susan Provance $70,503 campaign contributions when elected in 2024 Shurita Thomas-Tate $59,813 in campaign contributions when re-elected in 2022 Spending for SPS school board candidates has increased drastically over the last decade. For example, records from the Missouri Ethics Commission show the previous school board president Denise Fredrick, who maintained the position from 2008 to 2020, reported $10,425 in campaign contributions in 2011. Ozarks First Investigates did not find other records of campaign finance filings over the course of Fredrick's tenure as board president. Ozarks First Investigates compiled the campaign contribution fundraising that the eight sitting Springfield City Council members reported to the Missouri Ethics Commission when they were most recently elected. Monica Horton raised $1,713 in the 2023 election. Abe McGull received $6,600 in the 2019 election. Records from the Missouri Ethics Commission show McGull did not report any campaign contributions when he was re-elected in April 2023. Brandon Jenson raised $17,643 in the 2023 election. Matthew Simpson accepted $32,791 in contributions in the 2021 election. Heather Hardinger raised $48,742 in the 2021 election. Craig Hosmer reported $15,390 in campaign contributions for his 2021 campaign. Callie Carroll reported $44,493 in campaign contributions for her 2024 campaign. Derek Lee accepted $56,463 in campaign donations related to his 2023 campaign. Together, Springfield City Council members reported nearly $224,000 in campaign contributions to attain or retain their seats, for an average of roughly $27,000 per candidate. That's less than half the amount of money backing SPS school board candidates. Campaign finance documents also show the owner of Elliott Lodging, Gordon Elliott, donated $1,000 each to Mayor McClure and city council members Derek Lee and Callie Carroll in the April 2023 election. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
