DESPITE QUESTIONS, CANDIDATES FOR ADVANCE SCHOOL BOARD TO KEEP THEIR NAMES ON BALLOT

If candidates for public office don't complete all the paperwork requirements by the designated deadline, they're disqualified from the competition, right?

Not exactly.

Although the Missouri Ethics Commission is authorized by Missouri law to receive and review complaints alleging violations of Missouri statutes regarding conflict of interest, lobbying and campaign finance disclosure laws, actual enforcement for any violations is left largely in the hands of local elections authorities such as the county clerk.

For example, the commission recently recommended the only three candidates competing in the upcoming Advance school district Board of Directors election be removed from the ballot because of their failure to file Personal Finance Disclosure Statements as required by law before the Feb. 3 deadline.

These statements consist of a list of questions regarding sources of income for the candidate, his or her spouse, and any dependent children and are required to disclose any possible conflicts of interest to the public.

Candidates Carl D. Ritter Jr., John Johnson Jr. and Mike Scott neglected to file these reports because they said they weren't aware of the requirements and had trouble understanding the forms. Stoddard County Associate Circuit Court Judge Joe Satterfield supported the candidates and allowed them to remain on the April 7 ballot because the commission had failed to make the reports easier to understand.

Charles Lamb, the commission's executive director, said his hands are tied after the commission makes a recommendation.

"We are obligated by statute to notify the local election authority, but it's the actual local election authority's responsibility to remove the candidate's name from the ballot," he said. "By statute, these people were therefore disqualified, but it's up to the local elections authority to take over at that point."

Cape Girardeau County Clerk Rodney Miller said the reports required by the commission request basic financial information of all public candidates and are handed out when a person announces his candidacy. There are a number of deadlines candidates must be aware of and meet in order not to be disqualified, he said.

"Those reports -- if you haven't done them before -- may look confusing, but really they just ask basic questions," said Miller. "Everything depends on the race and how big a race it is."

Cape Girardeau City Councilman J.J. Williamson said he has changed his approach to meeting the commission's requirements in his bid for re-election. During his first campaign, Williamson said he formed a committee to handle his financial reports. However, the additional paperwork and deadlines were confusing and time-consuming, so this time around his approach is much more simple.

"I'm trying to stay under the guidelines so I have to submit as little paperwork as possible," he said.