Twelve of 31 elected officials in Oktibbeha County — including three state lawmakers, three supervisors, three county incumbents and three Starkville aldermen — failed to file their 2015 statements of economic interest online with the Mississippi Ethics Commission by Sunday’s deadline.
The two-page document provides a brief snapshot of officials’ economic ties, including income earned from all businesses and entities, control or ownership of companies and work and financial ties of spouses and other persons who reside with them.
All statewide, district, county and municipal incumbents must file every year on or before May 1, while appointees must file within 30 days of assuming office.
Anyone who fails to file within a year of the applicable deadline or who knowingly fails to disclose required information can be fined up to $10,000, according to the commission’s website.
On Monday, the MEC’s website showed 2015 filings for District 37 Rep. Gary Chism, R-Columbus, and District 38 Rep. Tyrone Ellis, D-Starkville, but District 43 Rep. Rob Roberson, R-Starkville, had yet to file his document online.
Filings for Oktibbeha County’s two senators – District 15’s Gary Jackson, R-French Camp, and District 16’s Angela Turner, D-West Point – were also missing from the state site.
Only two Oktibbeha County supervisors — Democrat Marvell Howard and Republican Bricklee Miller — filed their respective SEIs before Sunday’s deadline. Filings from District 1 Supervisor John Montgomery, District 2 Supervisor Orlando Trainer and District 5 Supervisor Joe Williams were not listed.
Both Williams’ and Trainer’s last filings were for 2013, the website showed.
Of the 13 other countywide elected positions, only Chancery Clerk Monica Banks, District 1 Justice Court Judge Tony Boykin and Coroner Michael Hunt missed Sunday’s deadline, as no filings were present on the MEC’s website.
The website shows the last available filing for Banks was for 2010.
Three Starkville aldermen — Ben Carver, Roy Perkins and Henry Vaughn — also missed the MEC’s deadline, as no filings were present online.
Six of the seven-member board and Mayor Parker Wiseman met the previous years’ filing requirement, but a 2014 filing from Vaughn was absent from the state’s website.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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