With MEC short on members, ethics complaint against Drinkwitz dropped; Kehoe working to fill vacancies
Mitchell Kaminski
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A complaint filed against University of Missouri head football coach Eli Drinkwitz has been thrown out due to a lack of commissioners on the Missouri Ethics Commission.
The complaint filed by Anthony Willroth, of Hold CoMo Accountable, stemmed from an Oct. 22 appearance on the weekly radio show “Tiger Talk” in which Drinkwitz spotted Columbia mayoral candidate Blaire Murphy in the crowd and gave him an endorsement on air. Drinkwitz eventually donated $10,000 to the campaign.
Since Mizzou Sports Properties and Learfield Sports sponsor the show, Willroth cited a violation of Section 330.050 of the University of Missouri’s Collected Rules and Regulations.
Under Missouri statutes, all MEC investigations must be completed within 90 days. However, on June 18th, the commission ruled that because there were not four commissioners able to consider the investigation within the statutory timeframe, the MEC could take no action on the complaint.
Under Missouri statutes, all MEC investigations must be completed within 90 days. On Wednesday, June 18, the commission ruled it could not act on the complaint because fewer than four commissioners were available to consider the case within the required timeframe. Missouri law requires at least four commissioners for a necessary quorum.
The complain against Drinkwitz wasn’t the only one from the April Boone County elections dismissed due to a lack of commissioners. On May 28, the MEC also ruled it could not act on a complaint against John Williams and the Citizens for a Better Columbia PAC filed by Hold Como Accountable for the same reason.
Gov. Mike Kehoe’s office told ABC 17 News that Kehoe entered office with an existing lack of quorum on the MEC, adding that the requirements for appointments are stringent, which can make finding qualified candidates who are interested in the position difficult.
In response, Gov. Mike Kehoe asked the Missouri Republican and Democratic parties to work with their congressional district committees to submit eligible nominees to fill the current vacancies. According to Kehoe’s spokesperson, Gabby Picard, the office has received nominations from both parties and has already started the interview process to fill the positions.
The Missouri Democratic Party told ABC 17 News in an email that it submitted eight-to-10 names for the governor’s consideration, but added that they sent a similar list to former Gov. Mike Parson and were “perplexed when he suggested he was having trouble finding people willing to serve.”
“Over $300 million in total was donated across every ballot campaign and candidate running for election in Missouri in 2024, mostly in amounts larger than $5,000. That’s a lot of money flowing, and Missouri deserves a strong ethics commission to provide oversight and enforce our campaign finance laws to ensure our elected officials are accountable to the public and not special interests,” MDP spokesperson Chelsea Rodriguez said.
ABC 17 reached out to the Missouri GOP, but has yet to hear back.
Under Missouri law, the MEC is designed to operate independently, free from interference by the governor or any state agency.
The governor appoints all six commission members, but only from lists of nominees submitted by the state’s two major political parties. Members must be Missouri residents, registered voters for at least five years and must disclose their financial and political contributions before being appointed.
Each member serves a four-year term with no more than three members belonging to the same political party, and only one member can represent each congressional district. When a vacancy opens up, the same nomination process is followed. If party committees don’t submit names in time, the governor can make the appointment directly, still following the same qualifications.