Local News
Groups in Safety Center debate may not have to file financial disclosures
EDMOND — A committee formed to rally support to defeat the Public Safety Center proposition on Tuesday’s ballot may be required to file a financial disclosure document.
The Committee to Stop Higher Property Taxes led by former Mayor Randel Shadid collected more than $14,000 in contributions, which was spent on advertising and signs, Shadid said on Wednesday.
Marilyn Hughes, executive director of the state Ethics Commission, said The Committee to Stop Higher Property Taxes may be required to file a financial disclosure document with the municipal clerk. This law is stated under the Political Subdivision Ethics Act, she said.
“It require committees which have collected contributions or made expenditures exceeding $500 to register within 10 days of exceeding the limit, and then afterwards to file reports if this includes committees formed to support or oppose a municipal ballot measure.”
She said the Ethics Commission is prohibited from receiving a complaint based on reports not filed. Complaints have to be made to the District Attorney, Hughes said.
Shadid said he does not plan to file a report. His lawyers advised him that he doesn’t have to file a financial disclosure statement, he said.
“We’re a loosely tied band of dissidents trying to exercise our First Amendment rights,” Shadid said. “Unless somebody can show me the statute to file reports, I don’t plan on doing it.”
A total of $5,995 in contributions was filed by Keep Edmond Safe to promote the Public Safety Center. Keep Edmond Safe was formed to convince voters to approve the Public Safety Center proposition, Mayor Dan O’Neil said.
A C-1 report was not filed by Keep Edmond Safe until Friday. Committees accepting more than $500 must file a financial disclosure statement 10 to 14 days before the election, according to ethics laws.
Each of the City Council members contributed to the campaign. Charles Lamb contributed $500, O’Neil said. Wayne Page contributed $100, according to the financial disclosure statement; David Miller gave $50 and Elizabeth Waner, $200. O’Neil said he contributed $450 to Keep Edmond Safe with an initial $250 deposit.
The Fraternal Order of Police was the largest contributor with a $3,000 donation, according to the report.
The Edmond Sun was listed by O’Neil on the Keep Edmond Safe donor list. However, Sun Publisher Steve Patterson said The Sun did not contribute money to Keep Edmond Safe nor any funds to the opposition.
O’Neil said $250 was spent by Keep Edmond Safe for an advertisement in The Edmond Sun that was later added to the report.
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Swine Week breaks record
Wild hugging and cheering rippled through the Memorial High School student body Friday afternoon when the Swine Week announcement was made that they are true record-breakers.
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State reviews ME’s office finances
The State Auditor and Inspector’s Office this week told House leadership that lack of planning and expecting annual increases in state funding helped land the State Medical Examiner’s Office in a precarious financial position, according to information obtained by The Edmond Sun.
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Lawmakers write governor, protest parole
Two state lawmakers are urging Gov. Brad Henry to deny parole for an inmate convicted in the murder of an Edmond man, calling him a continuing threat to Oklahomans.
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3-13 Calendar: Edmond senior center
Monday
1 p.m.: *Beginning tap
2:15 p.m.: *Jazzercise Lite -
3-13 Community: your news
Bureau encourages mail-back of census questionnaires saves taxpayer dollars
The 2010 Census is well under way, with the U.S. Census Bureau mailing 2010 Census questionnaires to about 120 million addresses nationwide. The questionnaires will arrive March 15-17. Residents are encouraged to complete the 10-question census form when it arrives and to return it in the accompanying pre-paid envelope as soon as possible. -
Edmond officer becomes part cop, part detective
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Edmond Police Officer Nathan Fountain nominated DeMoss for the award, which involves voting by DeMoss’s fellow officers. -
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Q: What is a living will? Do I need one? What about a durable power of attorney?
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Elementary students raise $3,593 for charity
An area elementary school raised $3,593 that will give children clean drinking water where it does not otherwise exist.
Students at Deer Creek’s Prairie Vale Elementary School raised the money, which will be donated to WaterIsLife.com, an Edmond charity that gives water filters to children in developing countries.
The small, portable filters hang around the neck of a child and provide pure water for one year. Among other places, they are supplying clean water in Haiti, a nation recovering from the devastating earthquake that leveled much of the capital city. -
Memorial student produces CD for Swine Week
Edmond Memorial High School senior Bryce Merritt recorded his third CD this year and donated 100 percent of his proceeds to Swine Week, the annual fundraiser the high school put on this week.
The school chose to raise money this year for the Jimmy Everest Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders in Children at the OU Medical Center.
Merritt has been singing since he was young, and he began performing at the Oklahoma Opry in Oklahoma City at age 10. Since then, he has performed at weddings and opened for musicians like Billy Currington and Craig Morgan at Frontier City. - More Local News Headlines
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