Court filing: Carthage Citizens United never worked to have Greg Dagnan fired

In a motion to dismiss filed Monday in Jasper County Circuit Court, attorney William Lasley representing Carthage Citizens United, claims the group never worked to have former City Administrator Greg Dagnan fired.

Dagnan is suing the City of Carthage, City Council members Tiffany Cossey and Alan Snow and Carthage Citizens United for wrongful dismissal.

The judge dismissed Carthage Citizens United as a defendant on the original petition, but an amended petition was filed October 1 dismissing all council members except Cossey and Snow as defendants and restoring Carthage Citizens United to the defendant list. Dagnan alleges the organization interfered with his contract with the city and his attempts to battle corruption in the city.

Carthage Citizens United formed in 2023 and aggressively began fund raising efforts to replace council members with new members who would carry out the organization's bidding of firing Mr. Dagnan.

That's just not the case, Lasley said.

Assuming this allegation to be true (which it isn't), Carthage Citizens United would have every right to do this. Political action committees merely allow people of average means to pool their funds and create a stronger and more impactful voice than each would have as individuals.

The statutory purpose of such committees as described in R.S.Mo 130.011 (7) is to "influence and attempt to influence the action of voters for or against candidates or ballot measures."

Even if Carthage Citizens United had advertised an intention to use the council to legally rid Carthage of Mr. Dagnan, it had every right to do so.

Some of the citizens of average means who support Carthage Citizens United were listed as contributors in the committee's quarterly disclosure report filed today with the Missouri Ethics Commission.

The report shows the committee raised $2,900 over the past three months, spent $4,672.95 and had $3,129.25 in the bank.

Those contributing during the reporting period were the following:

William Putnam $200

Alexander Boyer $200

Debbie Smallwood $200

Mark Peterson $200

Betsy Flanigan $200

William Lasley $200

George Goff $500

Jack Crusa $200

Julia Scott $200

Jimmy Grimes $200

Heather Collier $200

Danny Lambeth $200

Mary Beimdiek $200

Of the $4,672.95 spent by the committee, $4,660 went to Lasley's law firm, Flanigan, Lasley & Moore LLP for legal expenses.