Three maximum $1,275 contributions to Platte County Auditor Sandra Thomas' campaign for state auditor came from contract agents running state license fee offices, according to her October quarterly report, filed today with the Missouri Ethics Commission.
Ms. Thomas received the maximum amount from David Jerome, Neosho, Matt Gerstler, St. Joseph, and the Nodler Leadership PAC, which is operated by its treasurer, Joplin CPA Nick Myers, who runs the Joplin contract office. The Nodler Leadership PAC reported contributing $1,275 to her primary campaign two weeks after the primary ended and an additional $1,275 the following month.
Myers, of course, also serves as Ms. Thomas' campaign treasurer, and has already contributed $1,275 personally, and $1,275 from his CPA business.
The revenue fee office agents' contributions are not the only conflict of interest evident on Ms. Thomas' disclosure form. She also received a $500 contribution from Gene McNary, St. Louis, who was recently appointed by Governor Matt Blunt to head the Missouri Gaming Commission, which is a state agency which must be audited.
Thomas' campaign is being managed by Axiom Strategies, LLC, a firm to which she has paid more than $90,000 this year...and also a firm created by the same attorney responsible for organizing the license fee office management companies that were investigated by the FBI earlier this year. Axiom is a campaign consulting firm run by Jeff Roe, former chief of staff for Congressman Sam Graves. Roe is also the author of the Republican blog, The Source.
Axiom was organized Dec. 6, 2005, by Jamison Shipman, an attorney for Lathrop & Gage, according to documents on file with the Missouri Secretary of State's office. Shipman is the lawyer who organized the management firms that were created to run license fee offices.
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