Tag: Ethics Commission

W.Va. Ban on Election Trinkets Now Effective

A West Virginia ban on publicly funded trinkets bearing an elected official’s name or likeness is becoming effective.

The law prohibiting elected officials from using taxpayer money for certain products and services took effect Thursday.

It says public funding can’t be used to put an elected official’s name or likeness on a public vehicle, trinket or advertisement, such as a billboard.

The law prohibits using public money or employees for entertainment activities within 45 days of an election in which the elected official is a candidate.

The bill says magnets, mugs, cups, key chains, pill holders, band-aid dispensers, fans, nail files, matches and bags are examples of trinkets.

The Republican-led Legislature passed the ban. Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin signed it.

The state Ethics Commission is crafting rules regarding the law.

Ex-Huntington Mayor Agrees to Fine in Ethics Probe

Former Huntington Mayor and Cabell County Sheriff Kim Wolfe has agreed to pay a $1,500 fine as part of a settlement of two ethics complaints.

The state Ethics Commission released an order yesterday in which Wolfe admitted to using county taxpayer dollars for mailings during his 2008 campaign for mayor and accepting tickets to Cincinnati Reds baseball games from a bank doing business with the sheriff’s office.

The Republican served as sheriff from 2001 to 2008 and as mayor from 2009 to 2012.

In addition to the fine, Wolfe also faces a public reprimand and must undergo state Ethics Act training.

W.Va. Ethics Commission Rules on Legislator Mailings

The West Virginia Ethics Commission says state lawmakers can’t use targeted lists of likely voters when sending letters to constituents prior to elections.

The Charleston Gazette reports the commission’s ruling applies to mailings paid for by the Legislature.

The commission ruling says targeted lists of likely voters can’t be used in the state-funded mailings within 60 days of an election.

Commissioner Betty Ireland says the commission can’t restrict legislators’ ability to correspond with constituents, but the use of likely voter lists clearly constitutes campaigning.

State Senator Pulls Ad with WVEA Head Promoting Business

A southern West Virginia lawmaker has pulled a television ad for his car dealership that featured a testimonial by the president of the state’s largest teachers’ union.
 
Sen. Bill Cole says he stopped running the commercial on Monday. The Mercer County Republican says West Virginia Education Association President Dale Lee is a longtime customer.
 
Lee says he asked Cole to drop the ad after ethics questions arose at the Capitol. Cole says he didn’t realize there could be potential ethics issues.
 
State ethics law prohibits public officials from using their office for the private gain of an individual or business.
 
In the ad, Lee touts his personal experience buying cars from Cole’s dealership. Lee and Cole say Lee wasn’t compensated to appear in the ad.
 

W.Va. Ethics Panel Fines State Emergency Official

A state emergency official who appeared in an online promotional video for a California company has been fined $525 by the West Virginia Ethics Commission.
 
The commission also ordered state emergency communications director Joe Gonzalez to stop taking part in company promotions and to attend ethics training.
 
Gonzalez’s lawyer, Joe Ward, tells the Sunday Gazette-Mail that his client didn’t intentionally use his office for personal gain for himself or others. Ward says the video was an informational interview that Aviat Network used without Gonzalez’s permission.
 
Aviat received $27 million in federal stimulus funds to install radio equipment on 17 new towers across the state. The company posted the video on its website last April.

W.Va. Ethics Panel to Redo Meeting After Violation

The West Virginia Ethics Commission is redoing its December meeting because of a mistake that resulted in an open meetings violation. The commission has…

The West Virginia Ethics Commission is redoing its December meeting because of a mistake that resulted in an open meetings violation.
 
     The commission has scheduled a special meeting for Jan. 21 to revisit all the items on December’s agenda.
 
     Executive Director Joan Parker said Thursday that the commission forgot to post a notice of the meeting on the secretary of state’s website.
 
     West Virginia’s Open Meetings Act requires state agencies to file a notice of any meeting with the secretary of state for publication in the weekly State Register. The register is posted on the office’s website.
 
     Parker says the commission’s mistake is an opportunity to educate other governing bodies about rectifying inadvertent violations of the Open Meetings Act.
 

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