picture credit: plevota.tripod.com/
“I don’t know that I had any more problems than anyone else.”
Phil LeVota, current member of the Missouri State Democratic Committee, has been hit with a $15,500 fine for a string of ethics violations stemming from his 2008 run for a municipal judgeship in Lee’s Summit. He will only have to pay ten percent ($1,550) of the fine if he can manage to stay out of trouble for the next two years.
The Missouri Ethics Commission cited at least 10 violations of campaign finance disclosure laws, which according to the Kansas City Star included “loans recorded that weren’t made, inaccurate donation claims and incorrect expenditure reports.”
Instead of accepting the fines as a legitimate consequence for his actions, LeVota alleged the fine was politically motivated, using the defense, “I don’t know that I had any more problems than anyone else.” Essentially, he would like us to believe that every candidate is routinely making numerous campaign compliance mistakes, so he should not be held accountable for his own.
For those who don’t remember, this is not LeVota’s first time violating election laws. In 2004, he was found to have voted in Independence for two elections even though he was living in Lee’s Summit, a violation of state law. His defense to these allegations was that he did not know he was doing anything wrong by registering to vote at his mother’s address rather than his own.
LeVota, an attorney and former deputy prosecutor, should know better. Instead, he has demonstrated a pattern of disregard for Missouri’s election laws that reflects the culture of corruption within the Missouri Democratic Party.
5 responses so far ↓
1 Former_Democrat // Jul 6, 2010 at 9:36 am
I listen to him every Monday morning on the Chris Stigall radio show and the man is arrogant and believes he knows more than anyone else. Even when you prove him wrong, he won’t admit it. This is how the whole Democratic Party is now days. They have no integrity and believe if they lie long and loud enough, it becomes the truth.
2 jerry trotter // Jul 6, 2010 at 8:03 pm
I do not see the entire Dem party as being as bad as LeVota. Is it possible some people just want to see it that way, no matter what the truth is? because I do not see the entire Dem. party as being as bad as LeVota. I agree, all politicians should abide by the ethics rules. I already know many have no morals.
3 Proud Democrat // Jul 6, 2010 at 8:58 pm
Isn’t Levota the same person that stated during the election that no one knows more about election laws than he does, then in the new article he makes excuses, but if you read the actual ethics commission report it was all done with a consent order, so he has admitted the violations, yet again he gets in trouble but yet again another slap on the wrist, I am sure his brother helped him out, isn’t he also the same guy who tried to vote in two jurisdictions a few years back, what a loser.
4 Kim // Jul 7, 2010 at 5:57 am
This blog is usually pretty objective but this story is as politcally slanted to slam LeVota as you say his answers are. I don’t know what the deal is but it is odd that the Ethics Commission investigated a two year old municipal election of the brother of the House Democratic Leader without a public complaint. That seems politically motivated.
5 Bob // Jul 7, 2010 at 6:01 am
Kim is right. At least try to be a little objective! You forgot to put in your story that the Chairman of the Ethics Commission, who ordered the investigation of Levota’s 2008 election, had actually given $20,000 against Levota in the same election.
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