Chicago Politics Alive and Well in Christian County Missouri

Having lived in Chicago most of my adult life, I saw my share of how politicians like Richard Daley, who often ensure his personal connections benefited from his position in government through government contracts. I have also been telling you this goes on in Christian County, Missouri. The only difference is the Republicans are acting like the Chicago Democrats in Christian County. Take note from KSPR:

A Christian county commissioner is facing misdemeanor criminal charges and possible removal from office.

The Christian County Headliner reports prosecutor Amy Fite has charged Eastern associate commissioner Tom Huff of personally benefiting from doing work on public roads. The charges relate to paving contracts awarded to the company Tom Huff Asphalt and Sealing. Huff owned the company when he was elected in 2004. He then transferred ownership to his wife about two years ago. But court records show the company is considered marital property from which Huff personally benefits. The Headliner reports that county records show the county paid about $260,000 dollars to the company between 2009 and 2011.

The prosecutor has also filed the first step in removing Huff from office saying he's neglecting his duties. Huff has only attended one commission meeting since December 2010 after filing a worker's compensation claim for an injury he suffered in April 2010. The county continues to pay Huff an annual salary of more than $31,000. He's scheduled for arraignment on the criminal charges July 18th.

So Republican Tom Huff has used apparently been using his position for his own personal gains. It's just so disgraceful! It shows a total disregard for taxpayers, who often are requested to vote to fund these projects with increases in sales tax. It's hard to want to vote for these increases when you see such corruption knowing tax money could have been saved had the system been fair.

Controversy is nothing new for Huff and county Republicans. After all Huff was implicated in 2007 in the Gravelgate fiasco where county owned gravel was taken to a Chadwick park's parking lot without any authority. The sad thing is the Republicans who were first to point their finger at Huff were just as guilty.

The Christian County Headliner reported about Roy Matthews' actions that were discovered as both Roy and Karen Matthews pushed for Huff's removal:

Roy Matthews, former presiding commissioner in Christian County and husband of the current treasurer, Karen Matthews, said he isn’t surprised that the gravelgate episode supplied fodder for critics in scrutinizing his term of office that ended in 2002. He chose not to run again. 

The rest of the story, he said in an update to this blog, is that he asked a couple of road employees, one a fellow church member to help in remove trees from the church’s property; Matthews asked Tom Chudomelka, eastern commissioner at the time, for permission and it was done—off the clock—but with a county bucket truck. He said in hindsight he realizes it wasn’t the correct decision. The road employees took the wood home, he said. That evidence is probably burned by now.

This is why the Republican party needs to be cleaned up throughout Christian County. It starts by cleaning up the Christian County Republican Central Committee, which Matthews is campaigning for as this news breaks.