The Missouri Housing Development Commission has been through a rocky period. In June, a state audit criticized it for incomplete record-keeping, conflict-of-interest problems and weak rules on contracting.
And the panel’s executive director was interviewed by the FBI as part of an investigation into low-income housing projects.
Fortunately, Missouri Treasurer Clint Zweifel, who became commission chair in May, has improved the way the panel does business. He quickly won approval for tougher ethical rules on the commission, which allocates tax credits and issues tax-free bonds to help finance affordable housing projects.
Under the new policy, a business relationship between commission members and developers must be disclosed. Members must recuse themselves from any related vote.
A lingering question involves the relationship between commission members and campaign contributors. In September, for example, Zweifel himself benefited from a fundraiser conducted by Sam Hamra of H&H; Development Co., which won approval for a project in August.
Is a relationship between a contributor and commission member a red flag? In a recent meeting with The Star’s editorial board, Zweifel drew a distinction between personal business relationships — subject to the commission’s ethics policy — and campaign contributors.
Zweifel says he complies with the state’s campaign finance laws, and added that he supports a cap on such contributions, which would limit the potential influence of any single donor.
Contributors, however, have an annoying habit of expecting some sort of payback. Example: Hamra, the developer who held the Zweifel fundraiser, once complained to the then governor, Matt Blunt, that he (Hamra) had received little in the way of commission projects, even though he had raised money for the governor, who was a member of the panel.
Zweifel has done good work in plugging the commission’s ethical loopholes. But his experience with a fundraiser by a contributor who seeks benefits from the commission is another ripe example why the states need limits on contributions.
Missouri moved into dangerous territory by lifting caps on donations. Big donors bring big expectations. Why put taxpayers at risk of favors going to deep-pocket contributors? Or put politicians at risk of appearing to favor those donors?
Reasonable caps on individual donors must be reinstituted to avoid even the appearance of benefits flowing to the highest bidder.
— The Kansas City Star
Opinion
Other views: Plugging ethical loopholes
- Opinion
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Our View: Victims should come first
Millions of dollars in donations have poured in from around the world since the May 22, 2011, tornado. Those donations represent money from lemonade stands, charity auctions, corporate gifts and celebrity checks, just to name a few. In fact, one year later donations continue to come to Joplin.
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Beth Meeker, guest columnist: Same-sex marriage battle a quest for equal rights
I would like to take a moment to reply to guest columnist Anson Burlingame’s, “The Marriage Debate” (Globe, May 13).
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Sunday Forum: 2012 graduation speakers key on tornado, mall school and president’s visit
Editor’s note: In addition to speeches by President Barack Obama and Gov. Jay Nixon, Joplin High School’s top students addressed graduates, faculty, parents and other guests packed into the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center on the Missouri Southern State University campus. Following are the text of those speeches.
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Geoff Caldwell, guest columnist: Pack mentality takes truth as a casualty
President Obama’s Joplin graduation speech Monday showed that while there’s the political “right,” there’s also a very active “rabid” political right.
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Your View: ‘Study’ can mean anything
A few evenings ago, I watched a television program on the science of marriage.
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Our View: Support for museum
How can you tell the story of Joplin without the accounts of its mining history?
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Our View: Finding middle ground
The G-8 summit held last week in Camp David ended as expected.
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Anson Burlingame, guest columnist: Class of 2012 upholds character, hope
My oldest granddaughter was part of the class of 2012 from Joplin High School, and I attended the ceremony on Monday night.
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Scott Charton, guest columnist: 'Deadline in Disaster' film a story about storytellers
Local newspapers are at their best when they help their communities confront, understand, endure and overcome shared challenges.
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Our View: Make voting easiser
This year’s ballot will not include a proposed constitutional amendment that photo identification be required at the polls in Missouri. Good.
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