Fri. Sep 29th, 2023
The Mayor of Lake Ozark could be facing trouble after promoting political candidates using letterhead with the city’s logo ahead of election day.
As first reported by Lake News Online, Mayor Dennis Newberry shared a letter wrote on city letterhead asking the public to support selected candidates and published it on Social Media.
Several hours after posting the letter, it was removed and replaced with a separate post without the city’s logo in the letterhead.
At issue is a city ordinance, which puts the original letter in violation of city code under “Use of Public Resources” which states public officials shall not utilize the city’s name, letterhead, logo or seal for endorsement of political candidates, businesses or services.”
A spokesman for the Missouri Ethics Commission says they cannot comment on this issue at this time because it’s possible they may receive a complaint, and if a complaint is filed, they cannot discuss it with the media until a decision is made.
Alderman Pat Thompson of Ward 1 tells KRMS News she’s “Insulted” by the mayor’s endorsements, stating that the comment that others running for election that are not supported by Newberry “simply can’t move on” is out of line and incorrect.
There is also concern now that the city could face potential lawsuits by the losing candidates.
This remains a developing story and we’ll continue to bring you the latest as it comes in.
***Lake Ozark Code: