Wednesday, April 01, 2015

UPDATED: Anne Sharp was not late in filing 8-day-before-election report

I received a phone call this morning from the Jasper County Clerk's office and was told that Anne Sharp's eight-days-before-election financial disclosure report had arrived by courier this morning at the Carthage office, which is where the campaign finance documents are kept.

She told me that the report was stamped Monday, March 30, meaning that it had been filed on time. I verified that when I stopped by the Carthage office just before noon.

Apparently, the report was filed on time, but was not sent with the courier on Tuesday. When I talked to an employee at the Carthage office Tuesday afternoon, I was told that I should check with the Joplin office. I did so and was told that a courier had been sent to Carthage. I drove to Carthage that afternoon and discovered that no Joplin R-8 financial disclosure reports had been received at the elections office.

I called the Carthage office the next afternoon (Wednesday) just before closing and was told that there was still no Anne Sharp disclosure report.

It was at that point I decided to go ahead and write the post since two days had already passed since the deadline.

I was told this morning that no courier had been sent from Joplin to Carthage Wednesday and that the report had arrived five days before the election.

While it certainly would make it easier in this day and age if Missouri would require all candidates to file their reports online instead of giving them a choice (Melinda Campbell, Nancy Good, and Jeff Koch file their reports online, while Jennifer Martucci and Anne Sharp are filing theirs on paper.), the rules were followed and my original report was wrong. I apologize for the error.




Joplin R-8 Board of Education President Anne Sharp, who has come under fire in recent weeks for crossing ethical boundaries by using teachers and a professional development session in a campaign video, had still not filed her eight-days-before-election report as of the end of the day today, according to an employee at the Jasper County Clerk's office.

The report, which was due by the end of the day Monday, is supposed to include information about all money Sharp has received, and all expenditures, including how much she paid the local public relations firm which shot the controversial video, and how much she paid the Joplin Globe for Sunday inserts, which were distributed far outside the Joplin R-8 School District.

Campaign reports were filed on a timely basis by Sharp's opponent, Jeff Koch. Her other opponent, former Joplin Police Chief Lane Roberts, is not required to file a report since he will not spend more than $1,000. Roberts has said he will not serve if elected.

Also turning in the financial disclosure reports on a timely basis were the three candidates for the unexpired one-year board seat- Melinda Campbell, Nancy Good, and Jennifer Martucci.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

She and Bo Lee together have to know this needs done. I would guess what they're hiding is positively worth more than the penalty they might receive. Sharp needs to step down. Too many questions about her ethics and motivations. I'm positive they aren't in the best interest

For our Kids

Anonymous said...

OH now, Bo was too busy working for BF USA to get these trivial little things done. There was video to shoot, and signs to steal/have the city remove. So much to do to run such a reputable, positive campaign.

Dusty Roads said...

Anne does not need any donations she could cover it all easily out of pocket

Anonymous said...

Dusty Roads: Unless Missouri law is unlike all other election law I've heard of, she'd still have to report her own personal donations to her campaign. It would certainly be telling if she is pouring a lot of her own money into it, and I think we can presume something like that until she files her report.

I'd add that I suppose we shouldn't be surprised that the president of a lawless board that refuses to follow the state's Sunshine law would also ignore her disclosure requirements.

Anonymous said...

But...but...rules don't apply to Queen Anne, you peasants! Be grateful she does this so she can play with your scruffy offspring!

Anonymous said...

Thank you, Mr. Turner, for correcting your error, though it was certainly an understandable one. It points out the difference between you and Dr. Huff. You admit your mistakes, while he has never admitted to being wrong about anything.

Anonymous said...

The bigger ethical issue is her unlawful use of district facilities to make a campaign commercial. Randy, I hope you will contact the Ethics Commission regarding this issue.