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News covering policy and issues related to city and county governments in the Ozarks.

Ethics Commission Dismisses Complaints Against Former Springfield Mayor

KSMU archives
Mayor Bob Stephens during Thursday's State of the City Address/Credit: Christopher Akins - City of Springfield

Two complaints alleging former Springfield Mayor Bob Stephens improperly used public funds and violated conflict of interest laws have been dismissed.

The Missouri Ethics Commission published separate notices on its website Monday saying it found “no reasonable grounds exist” to support the violations in question.

One of the complaints was filed earlier this year by the Springfield Police Officers Association. It accused Stephens of using city property and funds to support the mayoral campaign of Ken McClure, who later won the seat. The complaint also included the names of two other council members, all of whom denied any wrongdoing and called the allegations politically motivated.  

The SPOA originally made the filing with the Missouri Attorney General’s office, which later passed the issue to the Ethics Commission.

The Springfield News-Leader reports Stephens filed suit against the Police Officers Association last month after requesting documents related to the ethics complaint against him. The union said it was not subject to the Sunshine Law and did not comply with the open records request.

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