Petition circulator who invoked Fifth Amendment paid $3570 to solicit recall signatures
By Tony Brockmeyer
A report filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission on January 19, 2006 reveals that Melissa Root of Lacouer Drive in St. Louis, who took the fifth amendment and refused to answer any questions in a sworn deposition (FCN 1/14/06 also available at firstcapitolnews.blogspot.com) received $3570 from the Citizens Empowerment Committee for collecting signatures on recall petitions. The Citizens Empowerment Committee, headed by Linda Meyer, is attempting to recall Councilwoman Dottie Greer and Councilman Mark Brown. The Citizens Empowerment Committee was formed to recall St. Charles City Council members. At a recent City Council meeting millionaire developer Tom Hughes described himself as one of the main leaders of the recall drive. Hughes and Kevin Kast, the former head of SSM St. Joseph Hospital, in conjunction with the Empowerment Committee, has started an organization with the self-proclaimed name of Do The Right Thing.
Councilman Mark Brown, one of the targets of the recall effort asked the First Capitol News, “Is ‘doing the right thing’ buying elections and paying for influence at City Hall? Not on my watch,” he concluded. Brown went on to say, “In normal situations, people who conduct themselves in the manner in which this group has are put in jail. I can’t believe all this just because I refused to take a payoff.”
The report also reveals that Meyer, the wife of a St. Charles police officer who was the head of the police officers association, was paid $300 on November 10, 2005, $300 on November 12, 2005 and $400 on November 18, 2005. In addition, the report reflects that TLC Bookkeeping was paid $500 on October 24, 2005 and $600 on November 14, 2005 for accounting services. We could not find a record of TLC Bookkeeping on file with the Missouri Secretary of State. However, a city business license was issued for the company. The address given on the city license and on the Ethics Commission report is Meyer’s home address in St. Charles.
The report shows $1153.20 was incurred to Penmac a St. Charles temporary employment agency for personnel to collect recall signatures. On October 10, 2005, $657 was incurred to the Glennon Company and $12,525.07 was incurred on October 15, 2005 also to the Glennon Company. The Glennon Company is headed by Glennon Jamboretz, a confidant to Mayor York and a leader of the St. Charles Citizens for Responsible Government along with Ken Kielty. Kielty is also a confidant of the Mayor. Kielty and Jamboretz head up St. Charles Citizens for Responsible Government, a political action committee they formed for the recall of City Councilmen. (See Mayor Funnels City Money to Political Hit men FCN 10/08/05 available at firstcapitolnews.blogspot.com)
Others receiving money for collecting recall signatures are:
Cheryl Paxton of the 400 block of Pearl Ridge in St. Charles. She was paid $1830 to collect recall signatures. Dave Paxton was paid $430. Cheryl Paxton was one of the five people who signed on as the Committee to Recall Councilman Mark Brown. Cheryl Paxton is a retired flight attendant who worked with Mayor York at Ozark Airlines and TWA. Her husband, Dave Paxton, is employed at American Airlines along with Mayor York’s husband Lionel York who is a pilot for American. Dave Paxton also signed on as a committee member for the Recall Mark Brown Committee. It is also rumored that Dave Paxton wants to take over Brown’s office as City Councilman for Ward 3 if they are successful in getting Councilman Mark Brown recalled. The Paxtons are also next-door neighbors to the developer of Pearl Ridge. (Pearl Ridge is the subdivision that the city allowed the developer to build without storm drains and the street floods with each heavy rain. It is the area where Mark Brown lives and where Brown and the other neighbors have been fighting the developer to correct the problem for several years. Brown and the other neighbors have a lawsuit pending against the developer in an attempt to have the problem corrected.
Tara Hart of the 700 block of Wade Lane in St. Charles. She was paid $2290 to collect recall signatures. Hart was one of the five people who signed on as the Committee to Recall Councilman Mark Brown. Hart is also the sister of developer Easton Wade the developer of the Pearl Ridge subdivision. She is also the next-door neighbor of Cheryl and Dave Paxton. Tara Hart turned in over two pages of recall signatures from the senior living center on Friedens Road. The Mayor’s father is a resident there and was also a paid signature gatherer against Councilman Brown.
Kevin McCrery of the 300 block of Casteel Court in St. Peters. He was paid $810 to collect recall signatures.
Keith Meyer of Jumping Frog Court in St. Peters. He was paid $720 to collect recall signatures.
Mike McLean of the 1100 block of Reavis Barracks Road in St. Louis. He was paid $550 to collect recall signatures.
Gary Robinson of the 900 block of Chestnut Oaks in St. Charles. He was paid $340 to collect recall signatures. Robinson was a candidate for City Councilman for Ward 3 and was trounced by Brown in the election.
Kay Seemiller of the 10800 block of Tesson Ferry Road in St. Louis. She was paid $280 to collect recall signatures.
Julie Lakin of the 26300 block of Dull Knife Trail in San Antonio, Texas. She was paid $170 to collect recall signatures.
Paula Eberhard of the 2900 block of Edinburgh Court in St. Charles. She was paid $150 to collect recall signatures.
Matt Root of the 1000 block of Lacouer Drive in St. Louis. He was paid $140 to collect recall signatures.
Melissa Tucker of Raven Court in Wentzville. She was paid $30 to collect recall signatures.
Recently Melissa Root invoked the Fifth Amendment during a sworn deposition under questioning by St. Charles City Attorney Mike Valenti. A criminal defense attorney represented her and the refusal to answer any questions regarding the collection of recall signatures was made on his advice (FCN 1/12/06 also available on firstcapitolnews.blogspot.com). Her attorney told City Attorney Valenti, “She has invoked her rights to any and all questions on her behalf as her counsel, she does not have to say anything. She does not have to invoke her rights; her rights have been invoked by me. I’m acting as counsel. This is tantamount to her sitting next to me at a criminal defense table and the State trying to get her to take the stand.”
Root, was being questioned about signatures she allegedly collected on petitions to recall Councilwoman Greer. She is also responsible for about half the signatures allegedly collected in the Councilman Mark Brown recall attempt.
At the last regular meeting of the St. Charles City Council a bill was on the agenda to place the recall election of Councilman Mark Brown on the ballot in April. It was defeated on a five to five vote. Greer’s recall election is on the April ballot.
