Bartosh: Banwart/Adams relationship is not a conflict of interest

The mutual admiration society between Joplin R-8 Board of Education member Lynda Banwart and County Commissioner and former Joplin Mayor Darieus Adams extends beyond mere friendship as the Turner Report has noted in recent posts.

The two have held campaign fundraisers for each other, and Banwart placed $13,400 worth of advertising with Adams' company, Four-States Advertising, during her 2014 election campaign.

Banwart thought nothing of dropping her support for Marsi Archer when the other three members of the board, Jeff Koch, Debbie Fort, and Jennifer Martucci submitted Archer's name, instead of their preferred candidate, Jim Kimbrough, during a special meeting May 29. She let it be known she wanted the vote taken away from the board and placed in the hands of the Jasper County Commission. Considering that Mike Landis has made it clear that he resigned so the Commission would get the vote and both Landis and Steele used language in interviews with the Joplin Globe that the board was interfering with their "right to resign," it has become abundantly clear that Banwart, Steele, Landis, and Joplin Progress Committee members have worked out a plan to defy the will of the voters and continue the type of leadership that made the C. J. Huff disaster possible.

With all of that in play, you would think the Jasper County Commission would be doing its level best to make sure that the process is completely aboveboard and free of even the appearance of impropriety.

Not so.

Presiding Commissioner John Bartosh told KOAM this morning that the idea that Darieus Adams has a conflict of interest is ridiculous:

Asked if commissioner Darieus Adams should recuse himself because he received contributions from a current school board member and whether that's a conflict of interest, Bartosh responded, “I think people are grabbing for straws here. That's just ridiculous. I'll visit with him about that but I think that's ridiculous."

Bartosh made it clear during an earlier interview that there would be  no taking applications for the position, the Commission would just appoint the three members. Judging from what he told the media this morning, even the thought process the commissioners use to reach their decision may be hidden from the public.

He said the Commission would likely just announce who had been selected during its regularly scheduled meeting either next Tuesday or the following Tuesday, which would indicate that commissioners would likely talk about prospective candidates when they are at the courthouse other times of the week, but which would not be posted on any agenda, lessening the chances that the public or the media will be happen to be there. It is a practice that has been criticized in the past and called a violation of the Sunshine Law by the Joplin Globe.