MOHELA board admits to Sunshine Law violations

An assurance of voluntary compliance, filed Dec. 28 in St. Louis County Circuit Court, states that MOHELA and some of its board members admit to committing multiple violations of the Sunshine Law between Jan. 20 and Jan. 31, 2006.

The Sunshine Law dictates that all meetings, records, votes, actions and deliberations of public governmental bodies are open to the public. MOHELA and its board held private meetings regarding Gov. Matt Blunt’s plan to sell the authority’s assets to fund scholarships and capital improvements at public universities.

Individual defendants were board members Karen Luebbert, Marilyn Bush, John Greer, James Ricks, Gregory Fitch, Kathryn Swan and James Mauze. All but Greer have since left the board.

Under the settlement:

• Each defendant board member will pay $1,000;

• MOHELA gave its assurance that it will comply with the Sunshine Law in the future;

• MOHELA will establish and maintain a written Sunshine Law policy and provide two, two-hour training sessions about the Sunshine Law each year for its board and other MOHELA employees. Nixon’s office has offered to provide that training at no cost;

• MOHELA will have an executive-level compliance officer monitor its compliance with the Sunshine Law and today’s agreement; and

• For the next two years, MOHELA will provide Nixon’s office with all notices of its board meetings at the same time that they’re made available to board members and with meeting minutes as they become publicly available.

This story originally appeared in SBJ’s Dec. 28 free e-news Daily Update. Click here to register.