By Martin Couch
Recently, a citizen who asked to remain anonymous, filed a complaint to the Arkansas Ethics Committee about the possible misappropriation of campaign funds by newly-elected Bryant mayor Jill Dabbs.
The complaint was answered by the committee and an investigation could be coming if more evidence is found. However, Dabbs, who based her campaign on a “transparent government” says she has nothing to hide.[more]
"The ethics complaint that has been filed against me is exactly why I am for transparency in government," Dabbs said. "I have nothing to hide and that is why I put every campaign expenditure on my financial report. It has been brought to my attention through an ethics complaint filed that I obviously made a mistake and paid the filing fee for the two lawsuits with my campaign fund."
Dabbs was accused of paying filing fees of $195 each for lawsuits to get Republican put on the ballot before her name and a suit against the current mayor of Bryant and the City Council for a water rate issue.
"The first lawsuit is arguably a campaign expense since it involved how my name would appear on the ballot," Dabbs said. "The second is flat out a mistake on my part. In my haste, I used the wrong checkbook. The funds for the second check have been refunded to the campaign account as of Nov. 4, and the first check was written to my attorney and he has yet to deposit it so therefore that check has been voided."
Dabbs said that an amendment will be filed with the Saline County Clerk’s office and she will notify the Arkansas Ethics Commission next week of the correction and the amendment.
"The people have spoken, they want elected officials serving in public office that will operate in such a way that others can see what is going on and when a mistake is made simply admit it, fix it, and move on," Dabbs said. "I will lead with humility and when I am wrong I will admit it. If this person had simply called me and asked me about the campaign expense, we could have had a pleasant conversation and I would have saved him and the Arkansas Ethics Commission the trouble by simply correcting the mistake and filing an amendment to my financial report with the County Clerk's office."
