Candidate disqualifications hamper upcoming ballot

With opponents disqualified, Alborn will be only candidate on ballot for Ash Grove School Board
During the filing dates in December, six people filed to put their names on the ballot for the Ash Grove R-IV School Board. Of those six, only one, David Alborn, will actually appear. The other five, Amanda Reece, Seth Carter and incumbents Caleb Smith, Jerry Morton and Matthew Hancock will not be on the ballot because they failed to file a Personal Financial Disclosure with the Missouri Ethics Commission (MEC) before the Jan. 24 deadline. As a result, not only will they not appear on the ballot, but they also cannot run as write-in candidates either.
According to information on the MEC’s website, the purpose of the disclosure is to reveal any “conflicts of interest” a candidate may have.
“The purpose of filing a Personal Financial Disclosure is to provide to the public information about a public official, employee or candidate’s financial interests,” the website stated. “Historically, Personal Financial Disclosures have been used to disclose any potential conflicts of interest by a public official or employee.”
A source familiar with the situation, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said each of the candidates who didn’t file the personal disclosure form in time had different reasons for failing to do so. For example, on the Facebook page she created to campaign for a seat on the school board, Amanda Reece said she was unaware of the deadline.
“Unfortunately, I did not know about the deadline,” she stated on the Facebook page, “so I got it filed about a week-and-a-half too late.”
The source said that each candidate was provided with this information when they filed to run for the school board.
“When a candidate signs up for school board,” the source said, “they receive a packet of information concerning being a board member and the requirements that go with it. They also sign off that they have received the packet, understand the deadlines and will sign up with the Missouri Ethics Commission.”
While Alborn will be the only one of the original six candidates to appear on the ballot, the source said that doesn’t mean he will be elected to the board.
“He will be the only candidate listed on the ballot, but he is not guaranteed to win,” they said. “Write in candidates have until March 24th to register. The top three vote getters, on the ballot or write in candidates, will be awarded the three school board seats.”
In response to a media inquiry, Dr. Aaron Gerla, superintendent of the Ash Grove School District, said that anyone who wants to file to be a write-in candidate can contact him at 417- 751-2534 or at agerla@agpirates.com, and he will walk them through the process of signing up as a write-in candidate.