JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Missouri Ethics Commission has issued three fines this week for campaign finance, statute, and conflict of interest violations. Two complaints were also dismissed.
One of the consent orders involved three city councilwomen and a mayor applying for, and receiving, a grant awarded by the city council, for which they were not eligible.
The City of Berkeley has a grant program where residents can apply for and receive up to $1,000. The Berkeley Exterior Housing Neighborhood Stabilization Grant states, “City Officials and Employees are not eligible to participate in there Neighborhood Stabilization Grant.”
Berkeley City Councilwomen Emmalene Mitchell, Brenda Williams, and Lee Etta Hoskins – who is married to the Mayor Theodore Hoskins, a former-state representative — all applied for and received the grant in March 2018.
In the consent order, all four agreed not to apply for, or receive the grant again. The MEC also imposed a $1,000 fine on all four, though if they cut a check within 45 days, they are only responsible for $100.
In another case, Arron Lee, the Assistant Chief for the Winfield-Foley Fire Protection District, and his welding company was authorized to perform services for the district without following the district’s purchasing policy.
In total, the district paid Advanced Welding $11,565.06 without making public notice or allowing bidding.
The MEC issued Lee a $6,030.00 fee. If he pays within 45 days, he will only be on the hook for $1,206.00.
Show Me Growth PAC was fined $1,000 — $100 if paid within 45 days — for untimely filing of financial reports. The group filed their 8-day before the election report on November 10, 2018
A complaint alleging that Carpenters Help in the Political Process (CHIPP) improperly reported contribution was dismissed by the MEC. The commission also dismissed a complaint alleging The Committee to Protect MO Families accepted contributions after it was dissolved.
Alisha Shurr was a reporter for The Missouri Times and The Missouri Times Magazine. She joined The Missouri Times in January 2018 after working as a copy editor for her hometown newspaper in Southern Oregon. Alisha is a graduate of Kansas State University.
