FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
To our Commentary and News Release List™
Friday, May 02, 1997
For Immediate Release;
Contact Robert Colaco at (818)757-1776
Group challenges the Missouri State Government and the Attorney General (AG), Jay Nixon to enforce it’s own laws.
VAN NUYS, California - “We are outraged to read and hear what has taken place in Missouri,” says Robert Colaco, National Chairman of Citizens For A Better America ®. “It is sickening to us that a private citizen by the name of William E. Samuels, had
to take his time and his resources to file a lawsuit against the City of Columbia, Missouri and it’s city manager Ray Beck.”
“Fortunately, Mr. Williams E. Samuels is an attorney and could file a lawsuit (Case No. 94CC055752) with oral arguments to begin on Monday, May 12, 1997 in the courtroom of Presiding Judge, Frank Conley of Boone County Circuit Court, to get the City
of Columbia to stop violating state law RSMo 115.646 otherwise the City of Columbia could just go on and on with breaking state law,” Robert Colaco said.
The former AG of Missouri, William L. Webster in an August 14, 1990 opinion letter (54-90) wrote regarding a similar but separate case in Saint Louis, Missouri where the city government used taxpayer funds to advocate the passage of Proposition A
during the August 8, 1989 election. Missouri state statute 115.646 states: “Public funds expenditure by political subdivision officers or employee, prohibited—personal appearances permitted. No contribution or expenditure of public funds shall be made
directly by any officer, employee or agent of any political subdivision to advocate, support, or oppose any ballot measure or candidate for public office...”.
The AG goes on in his August 14, 1990 letter: “the primary issue for consideration is whether or not the attached letter ‘advocates’ or ‘supports’ the ballot measure. Webster’s Third New International Dictionary defines the verb ‘advocates’ as
follows: ‘to plead in favor of: defend by argument before a tribunal or the public: support or recommend publicly’... In considering the letter about which you are concerned, we conclude the letter ‘advocates’ or ‘supports’ the ballot proposition and is
within the prohibition of Section 115.646, RSMo Supp. 1989, if public funds were expended in the preparation and mailing of the letter.”
“Frankly, we do not know why the former attorney general William L. Webster did not prosecute the City of Saint Louis officials about the use of taxpayer funds to advocate Proposition A and why he did not prosecute the city of Columbia, Missouri for
the use of taxpayer funds to advocate Proposition 3,” Robert Colaco said. “But, now there is a new administration, a new attorney general, the statute has not changed, and we call on the Missouri AG Jay Nixon and Boone County Prosecutor Kevin Crane to
file a friend of the court brief perhaps even before oral arguments begin on May 12 and be the responsible elected officials that the voters of Missouri elected them to be. We also call on Governor Carnahan, Lieutenant Governor Wilson, Secretary of State
Cook, State Auditor Kelly to voice their public opposition of Missouri government agencies using taxpayer funds to advocate ballot measures and thereby breaking state law,” said Colaco.
Citizens For A Better America ® is a national, grassroots, independent political committee whose mission is to elect morality and values based candidates to public office from party committees to the presidency. “Citizens For A Better America ® does
advocate ballot measures but has to do so by the use of non tax deductible donations of it’s members and every time a government agency whether in Missouri, California or anywhere else in America uses public funds to advocate a ballot measure or a
candidate the voters and members of CFABA are defrauded,” said Colaco.
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© copyright 1997 Citizens For A Better America ® (CFABA.org)
Publisher of the Have You Been Lied To? ™ Flyer
Robert Colaco, National Chairman, Founder.
F.E.C. ID #C00278333
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