All but $16 of that total came from one lobbyist and was provided to one legislator.
The Ethics Commission documents indicate lobbyist Richard McIntosh of the St. Louis-based Flotron & McIntosh firm provided Rep. Tom Flanigan, R-Carthage, with $2,092.67 in air travel, ground travel, a three-day hotel stay, and meals during a trip to San Jose Oct. 14-17.
The largest amounts, for hotel stays and air travel were paid for by Flotron & McIntosh, according to the Ethics Commission documents.
EMC, a Massachusetts-based tech firm, paid for a $109.33 meal, while Cisco System footed the bill for a $129.43 meal.
Another Flotron & McIntosh client, Oracle, paid $7.60 for a meal during a briefing at Oracle headquarters.
The only other Joplin-area legislator to accept a gift, a meal worth $16, was Rep. Charlie Davis, R-Webb City.
The Ethics Commission documents indicate Rep. Mike Kelley, R-Lamar, Rep. Bill Lant, R-Joplin, Rep. Bill Reiboldt, R-Joplin, and Rep. Bill White, R-Joplin, accepted no gifts.
For the year, Davis tops the area legislators at $4,849.78, followed by Flanigan at $4,351.77, Kelley $723.10, Lant $683.16; and Reiboldt $25.52. White has not accepted any gifts.
I believe in total transparency and the MEC accomplishes this. Unfortunately, the numbers don't tell the whole story. For instance, in June, as chairman of the Veterans Commuttee, I held a rally to honor the Missouri Patriot Guard for the work they do in protecting and serving our military and their families. The vast majority of the $ given to me as "personal gifts" was to pay for this event at the Missouri State Fairgrounds. Lobbyists have to report the "gifts" to someone's account. That was me. What did I get out of the rally? I got to honor some great men and women who sacrifice every day to honor our military. Did I get anything out of the rally? I did. The satisfaction of raising awareness for these Patriot Guard members and to thank them for their service. That's it and those numbers go on my report. 1 band from Jefferson City, 1 band from Joplin, the POW/MIA hot air balloon, renting of the Mathison Exibition Center for the day, renting of the sound system, etc. I was honored to hold the event, but the event was for others. Numbers tell the truth, not not the whole truth and I can only speak for myself.
ReplyDeleteThat last comment is from Rep. Charlie Davis, R-Webb City. I did point out the Patriot Guard information in an earlier post, but neglected to do so this time. Thanks for the information.
ReplyDeleteThis is the what you should be doing Turner. Get out of the R-8 business because you are too close to the subject. I trust your blog when you report on other issues.
ReplyDeleteWhen this "R-8 business' has been completed, you will find that my reporting has been accurate despite my being close to the situation. Though I would have preferred to have been drawn into the story in a different way, the story is a reporter's dream and as everyone will see in the next few weeks, I have not exaggerated anything.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I will be happy when it is all over. I have a lot of things I want to write about.
ReplyDeleteI want to know the purpose of the meeting. Was it a sales pitch put on by the company for a new product or service? Also, answer why he needed an all expense paid trip.
ReplyDelete