Politics & Government

Councilwoman: Make Campaign Finance Reports More Accessible

The Council also voted to defer naming a new President.

On the heels of a just-completed election campaign, Creve Coeur City Ward 4 Councilwoman Jeanne Rhoades is asking what the city can do to encourage candidates to file their campaign finance reports electronically.

Rhoades spent time during Monday's city council meeting encouraging her colleagues to support measures that she said would make it easier for voters to vet candidates.

The city cannot mandate electronic filing, but it is available to candidates throughout the state via the Missouri Ethics Commission. Ward 4 Councilman Scott Saunders equated it to using TurboTax. Rhoades said a county elections official told her 30 percent of local candidates do e-file their campaign finance reports.

Find out what's happening in Creve Coeurwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Rhoades argued that electronic filing and access would make it easier for the public to review campaign finance disclosures by saving people a drive to the Board of Elections office in Maplewood.

Filling out the forms electronically would also be easier on the eyes, she suggested. While holding up reports from the just-completed Glantz-Bryant Mayor's race, Rhoades joked that she would give both candidates a "C Minus" for handwriting, while also noting that the candidates themselves may not have filled out the forms. 

Find out what's happening in Creve Coeurwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A possible solution may be to require candidates who do not file electronically to submit a paper copy of the forms to the city clerk, which would make for a shorter drive for people who would only have to go to the to review them.

City Attorney Carl Lumly will draw up language for a possible vote, while recognizing that it wasn't clear what kind of sanctions the city could impose on a candidate who did not file the paperwork in Creve Coeur.

HOW TO PICK A PRESIDENT?

Council members deferred on a move to elect a new Council President, after Ward 2 Councilwoman Tara Nealey said she thought it was necessary to change the somewhat ad-hoc process because it fed into a possible perception for some that it was unfair. Lumly will draft language to lay out how the balloting process will work, which will allow any council member who wants to be nominated to be President to be considered.

Nealey is the current Council President but made it clear that she was not arguing for the procedural change as a way of extending her time in the role. The President runs council meetings in the absence of the Mayor, and is also involved in the nominating process for city committee vacancies. 

said he supported a move to "de-politicize the process" of electing a Council President.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Creve Coeur