Rep. Jeff Harris, D-Columbia, criticized Sen. Chris Koster, D-Harrisonville, for funneling campaign cash through legislative district committees.
Watch the YouTube video on how Rep. Harris questions the fundraising efforts of Sen. Koster.
Harris rips Koster for fundraising report
Watch the YouTube video and make up your mind whether you want to gamble the Attorney General's office with Sen. Koster. The ethical questions sorrounding Sen. Koster as posed by Rep. Harris in this video disqualify him from the office of Missouri Attorney General.
Vote for honesty, integrity, expereince, and legal and leadership skills. Vote for Sen. Gibbons for Attorney General in November 2008.
Missouri Taxpayers for Gibbons as our next Attorney General.
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Sunday, August 24, 2008
Supporters of Rep. Donnelly have been attacking Chris Koster
"Supporters of the Democratic runner-up, state Rep. Margaret Donnelly, have been vigorously attacking Koster on Internet blogs. Some have threatened to vote for the Republican nominee for attorney general, state Sen. Mike Gibbons." Courtesy of Jo Mannies, St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Chris Koster has been labelled by many democrats as impostor because he was a conservative in 2007, skipped ship and became a liberal in late 2007 to run for attorney general. He also has been cited by the Missouri Ethics Commission for violating the campaign donation laws. He raised a lot of dough by circumventing the election laws. Can Missourians trust him to be the next attorney general? The answer is emphatically NO. Reject Koster in the November 2008 elections.
Support Mike Gibbons for Attorney General. A vote for Gibbons means a vote for honesty, integrity, experience, and effective leadership. Those are the overarching qualities we need in Missouri Attorney General.
Missouri Taxpayers for Gibbons as our next Attorney General.
Chris Koster has been labelled by many democrats as impostor because he was a conservative in 2007, skipped ship and became a liberal in late 2007 to run for attorney general. He also has been cited by the Missouri Ethics Commission for violating the campaign donation laws. He raised a lot of dough by circumventing the election laws. Can Missourians trust him to be the next attorney general? The answer is emphatically NO. Reject Koster in the November 2008 elections.
Support Mike Gibbons for Attorney General. A vote for Gibbons means a vote for honesty, integrity, experience, and effective leadership. Those are the overarching qualities we need in Missouri Attorney General.
Missouri Taxpayers for Gibbons as our next Attorney General.
The Women Who Know Chris Koster Best
"Usually a candidate’s family, friends, and staff are their most ardent supporters, volunteering time and resources to help win the election. But the opposite seems true for Chris Koster. In recent weeks, it’s become apparent that the women who know Chris Koster best, both personally and professionally, are not only not supporting his bid for Attorney General, but they are questioning his motivations, ethics, and ability to both follow and apply the law. In fact, they are so certain that Koster cannot be trusted to serve as Missouri’s chief law enforcement officer, that they are putting their own credibility–and finances–on the line to make sure voters know the truth.
1) Koster’s former campaign manager, Susan McNay, was so distraught over Koster’s money laundering and potentially illegal activities that she resigned from her position and detailed the activities to officials. McNay said, "I trusted the candidate, even though I had questions about whether we were doing something that was not right," McNay said. "He assured me everything was fine, and now I have concerns that we broke the law." (Associated Press, July 7, 2008) 2)
2. Sharing those concerns is Rebecca Bowman Nassikas, who was married to Koster from 1996 to 2003. Last week she donated nearly $200,000 to a political committee that created a Web site and television ads that raise concerns over Koster’s potentially illegal campaign fundraising methods-methods that have been the focus of ethics complaints filed by both Republicans and Democrats. “I hope this gets people to look into (the allegations),” Nassikas said. “They might still decide to vote for Chris. But this will be a way to make it more fair.” (Kansas City Stat, July 31, 2008)3)
3. Shellie Rebman, who served as Assistant Cass County Prosecutor from 1995-1997 under Koster, is speaking out about his management of the office and inability to apply the law fairly. Rebman said, “… Chris Koster was rarely in the office…and when he was in the office, he spent his time discussing his political career…the only criminal charges that Chris Koster became involved in were those that could have a political impact on his political ambitions. During discussions concerning charging decisions in high-profile criminal cases, I never heard the words ‘justice’ or ‘victim impact’ come from Chris Koster, rather he was concerned with potential backlash and how his decision would impact his political career. I truly believe that his only interest while serving as the Cass County Prosecutor was how the position could further his personal political career. In fact, this is why I finally left a job that I truly loved, the frustration of working for a Prosecutor who was not interested in justice or doing the right thing was just too frustrating for me.”
Source: Barbara Shelly is a member of the Editorial Board. She can be reached at 816-234-4594 or at bshelly@kcstar.com. She blogs at voices.kansascity.com
Read more at The Women Who Know Chris Koster Best
1) Koster’s former campaign manager, Susan McNay, was so distraught over Koster’s money laundering and potentially illegal activities that she resigned from her position and detailed the activities to officials. McNay said, "I trusted the candidate, even though I had questions about whether we were doing something that was not right," McNay said. "He assured me everything was fine, and now I have concerns that we broke the law." (Associated Press, July 7, 2008) 2)
2. Sharing those concerns is Rebecca Bowman Nassikas, who was married to Koster from 1996 to 2003. Last week she donated nearly $200,000 to a political committee that created a Web site and television ads that raise concerns over Koster’s potentially illegal campaign fundraising methods-methods that have been the focus of ethics complaints filed by both Republicans and Democrats. “I hope this gets people to look into (the allegations),” Nassikas said. “They might still decide to vote for Chris. But this will be a way to make it more fair.” (Kansas City Stat, July 31, 2008)3)
3. Shellie Rebman, who served as Assistant Cass County Prosecutor from 1995-1997 under Koster, is speaking out about his management of the office and inability to apply the law fairly. Rebman said, “… Chris Koster was rarely in the office…and when he was in the office, he spent his time discussing his political career…the only criminal charges that Chris Koster became involved in were those that could have a political impact on his political ambitions. During discussions concerning charging decisions in high-profile criminal cases, I never heard the words ‘justice’ or ‘victim impact’ come from Chris Koster, rather he was concerned with potential backlash and how his decision would impact his political career. I truly believe that his only interest while serving as the Cass County Prosecutor was how the position could further his personal political career. In fact, this is why I finally left a job that I truly loved, the frustration of working for a Prosecutor who was not interested in justice or doing the right thing was just too frustrating for me.”
Source: Barbara Shelly is a member of the Editorial Board. She can be reached at 816-234-4594 or at bshelly@kcstar.com. She blogs at voices.kansascity.com
Read more at The Women Who Know Chris Koster Best
In a nutshell: Chris Koster is unfit to be our next Attorney General. We don't want a man who has a lot of baggage to be our Chief Law Enforcement Officer. It will be a disaster. The man has been rejected by even women who were closest to him.
Missouri Taxpayers for Sen. Gibbons as the next Attorney General.
Excerpts from the formal complaint filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission against Chris Koster, July 14, 2008"
Click here to download and read the 57 Page Ethics complaints filed with Missouri Ethics Commission about how Chris Koster is circumventing the laws to raise donations
Do Missourians want a man whose integrity is in question to be or next Attorney General? Missourians are saying emphatically NO. What about the big donors who have been chanelling questionable funds? Don't you think these donors will run the office of the Attorney General? The AG's office wil be up for sale to the highest bidders! The bidders have already showered Mr. Koster with what is believed to be illegal contributions.
Gibbons is the candidate that will bring honesty and integrity into the Attorney General's office. We need to elect him in November 2008.
A majority of the suburban voters who supported Rep. Donnelly say they will vote for Sen. Gibbons who they know so well as the politician who protected them from the unfair property taxes when he was Senate President Pro Tem. Sen. Koster is already in trouble!
Missouri Taxpayers for Senator Gibbons as the next Attorney General.
Do Missourians want a man whose integrity is in question to be or next Attorney General? Missourians are saying emphatically NO. What about the big donors who have been chanelling questionable funds? Don't you think these donors will run the office of the Attorney General? The AG's office wil be up for sale to the highest bidders! The bidders have already showered Mr. Koster with what is believed to be illegal contributions.
Gibbons is the candidate that will bring honesty and integrity into the Attorney General's office. We need to elect him in November 2008.
A majority of the suburban voters who supported Rep. Donnelly say they will vote for Sen. Gibbons who they know so well as the politician who protected them from the unfair property taxes when he was Senate President Pro Tem. Sen. Koster is already in trouble!
Missouri Taxpayers for Senator Gibbons as the next Attorney General.
Associated Press: Koster campaign involved in passing cash through committees. Koster’s Ethics Questioned, Check exchange raises concerns.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. "They met at an Italian restaurant in southwest Missouri. A campaign aide for Democratic attorney general candidate Chris Koster and the treasurer for a local Democratic committee. The purpose: a check exchange.
Koster's aide handed the Democratic official a check from an innocuous-sounding group called the Economic Growth Council, along with a pair of letters she had created—one from the Economic Growth Council accompanying its money, the other from Koster's campaign soliciting money from the local political committee. The letters were formalities. The Democratic official provided Koster's aide a pair of checks similar in size to the amount she had received. Just like that, Koster's campaign channeled nearly $27,000 to itself—part of the roughly $450,000 from big-time donors that got routed around campaign contribution limits to Koster in a three-month period. E-mail communications obtained by The Associated Press show Koster's campaign staff helped direct donors wishing to give more than the state limit to the Economic Growth Council, then coordinated the transfer of that money to local political party committees and onto Koster's campaign—a potential violation of an 8-year-old ruling against such orchestration. The documents were provided to the AP by someone close to Koster's campaign on the condition of anonymity, because the person is not authorized to speak for the campaign. Koster defends his fundraising tactics as legal—and similar to those being used by other major statewide candidates. But it's unclear whether other campaign staffs have been so deeply involved in coordinating the money shuffling. A former Koster campaign aide now is concerned the tactics may have been illegal.
Officials at the Missouri Ethics Commission are reluctant to say publicly whether fundraising scenarios such as Koster's violate campaign finance laws, in case they later are asked to make a ruling. But "that's getting awfully close," said former Ethics Commission executive director Bob Connor, who remains on staff at the commission. "That could come before the commission if somebody thought it was improper."
Source: DAVID A. LIEB, Associated Press. Read more ...
Fellow Missourians if Chris Koster can violate the law to get illegal campaign contributions for the primary elections that he barely won, then what do you expect him to do when he becomes Attorney General? We believe he will sell that office to the highest bidder! We can't trust Koster with the laws that are meant to protect us. Mr. Koster is tainted! The AG's office will be run by his big donors. On the hand Sen. Gibbons is a clean honest man who puts the taxpayers before his interest.
We can't afford to trust Koster with the AG's office. Please elect Sen. Gibbons our next Attorney General. He has been a champion and friend of Missouri taxpayers while he served in the Missouri House and the Senate.
Missouri Taxpayers for Senator Gibbons as the next Attorney General.
Koster's aide handed the Democratic official a check from an innocuous-sounding group called the Economic Growth Council, along with a pair of letters she had created—one from the Economic Growth Council accompanying its money, the other from Koster's campaign soliciting money from the local political committee. The letters were formalities. The Democratic official provided Koster's aide a pair of checks similar in size to the amount she had received. Just like that, Koster's campaign channeled nearly $27,000 to itself—part of the roughly $450,000 from big-time donors that got routed around campaign contribution limits to Koster in a three-month period. E-mail communications obtained by The Associated Press show Koster's campaign staff helped direct donors wishing to give more than the state limit to the Economic Growth Council, then coordinated the transfer of that money to local political party committees and onto Koster's campaign—a potential violation of an 8-year-old ruling against such orchestration. The documents were provided to the AP by someone close to Koster's campaign on the condition of anonymity, because the person is not authorized to speak for the campaign. Koster defends his fundraising tactics as legal—and similar to those being used by other major statewide candidates. But it's unclear whether other campaign staffs have been so deeply involved in coordinating the money shuffling. A former Koster campaign aide now is concerned the tactics may have been illegal.
Officials at the Missouri Ethics Commission are reluctant to say publicly whether fundraising scenarios such as Koster's violate campaign finance laws, in case they later are asked to make a ruling. But "that's getting awfully close," said former Ethics Commission executive director Bob Connor, who remains on staff at the commission. "That could come before the commission if somebody thought it was improper."
Source: DAVID A. LIEB, Associated Press. Read more ...
Fellow Missourians if Chris Koster can violate the law to get illegal campaign contributions for the primary elections that he barely won, then what do you expect him to do when he becomes Attorney General? We believe he will sell that office to the highest bidder! We can't trust Koster with the laws that are meant to protect us. Mr. Koster is tainted! The AG's office will be run by his big donors. On the hand Sen. Gibbons is a clean honest man who puts the taxpayers before his interest.
We can't afford to trust Koster with the AG's office. Please elect Sen. Gibbons our next Attorney General. He has been a champion and friend of Missouri taxpayers while he served in the Missouri House and the Senate.
Missouri Taxpayers for Senator Gibbons as the next Attorney General.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Sen. Michael Gibbons worked hard to protect Missourians from unfair property tax
Senator Michael Gibbons has a long track record of being a friend of Missouri taxpayers. He worked tirelessly to protect citizens from unfair property taxes by introducing and passing a
bill that mandates rollbacks, closes loopholes, informs taxpayers and expands relief. Please follow the course of his hardwork to protect Missourians from runaway property taxes by clicking the following links:
Senate Leader: Taxpayers Protected. Sen. Gibbons' Bill Mandates Rollbacks, Closes Loopholes, Informs Taxpayers and Expands Relief, July 2, 2008
Senate Protect Taxpayers and Students, May 16, 2008.
Michael Gibbons, the senate leader, introduced, sperheaded , and sent Senate Bill 711 to the governor that protects Missouri taxpayers from tax increases caused by reassessment. Gibbons sponsored the property tax reform that will also close tax increase loopholes, require earlier notice and more information, and expand tax relief for seniors and the disabled. "The days of taxpayers getting hit with tax increases because of reassessment are over," he said. "We're protecting taxpayers from being taxed out of their homes and businesses." The Senate leader
helped increase funding for K-12 education and needs-based scholarships for Missouri
students to attend private and public colleges.
For more information on how Sen. Gibbons fought to protect us from unfair property tax and more, please click the following link: Sen. Gibbons' Press Releases and Bills Sponsored by Sen. Gibbons in 2008. He has excellent legislative, legal, and leadership experience to be our next Attorney General.
Vote for Sen. Gibbons for Attorney General in November 2008. We can't afford to trust Chris Koster to be our next Chief Law Enforcement Officer because he is a flip-flopper, and has no proven leadership skills. He was championing conservative causes a few months ago and now he is a hard-bleeding liberal! Even the democrats don't trust him and that is why he beat Rep. Donnelly by a slim margin! Can we gamble with the office of the Attorney General? We Missouri taxpayers emphatically say NO. Therefore reject Chris Koster for Attorney General in November 2008. The party he recently joined calls Sen. Koster "a democratic impostor". Sen. Koster is neither a Republican nor a Democrat. He is in limbo. We don't need to elect him until he finds himself i.e. attains political stability and maturity. Can you trust a man who jumps ship from the Republican party to the Democratic party to take advantage of what he erroneously perceives to be a golden opportunity for democrats in this election year?
Missouri Taxpayers for Michael Gibbons as our next Attorney General.
bill that mandates rollbacks, closes loopholes, informs taxpayers and expands relief. Please follow the course of his hardwork to protect Missourians from runaway property taxes by clicking the following links:
Senate Leader: Taxpayers Protected. Sen. Gibbons' Bill Mandates Rollbacks, Closes Loopholes, Informs Taxpayers and Expands Relief, July 2, 2008
Senate Protect Taxpayers and Students, May 16, 2008.
Michael Gibbons, the senate leader, introduced, sperheaded , and sent Senate Bill 711 to the governor that protects Missouri taxpayers from tax increases caused by reassessment. Gibbons sponsored the property tax reform that will also close tax increase loopholes, require earlier notice and more information, and expand tax relief for seniors and the disabled. "The days of taxpayers getting hit with tax increases because of reassessment are over," he said. "We're protecting taxpayers from being taxed out of their homes and businesses." The Senate leader
helped increase funding for K-12 education and needs-based scholarships for Missouri
students to attend private and public colleges.
For more information on how Sen. Gibbons fought to protect us from unfair property tax and more, please click the following link: Sen. Gibbons' Press Releases and Bills Sponsored by Sen. Gibbons in 2008. He has excellent legislative, legal, and leadership experience to be our next Attorney General.
Vote for Sen. Gibbons for Attorney General in November 2008. We can't afford to trust Chris Koster to be our next Chief Law Enforcement Officer because he is a flip-flopper, and has no proven leadership skills. He was championing conservative causes a few months ago and now he is a hard-bleeding liberal! Even the democrats don't trust him and that is why he beat Rep. Donnelly by a slim margin! Can we gamble with the office of the Attorney General? We Missouri taxpayers emphatically say NO. Therefore reject Chris Koster for Attorney General in November 2008. The party he recently joined calls Sen. Koster "a democratic impostor". Sen. Koster is neither a Republican nor a Democrat. He is in limbo. We don't need to elect him until he finds himself i.e. attains political stability and maturity. Can you trust a man who jumps ship from the Republican party to the Democratic party to take advantage of what he erroneously perceives to be a golden opportunity for democrats in this election year?
Missouri Taxpayers for Michael Gibbons as our next Attorney General.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Sen. Gibbons Presents Bill Mandating Rollbacks, Closing Loopholes with Truth in Taxation, Predicting Increases and Expanding Relief
Missouri taxpayers are one step closer to being protected in future reassessment years from back door tax increases under the veil of reassessment thanks to legislation presented by Senate Leader Mike Gibbons, R-Kirkwood. The property tax reform package, Senate Bill 711, will also close tax increase loopholes with truth in taxation, require advance notifications for more predictable assessments and tax bill increases, and expand tax relief for low-income seniors
and the disabled. "We must stop these back door tax increases," Gibbons told the Senate Ways and Means Committee. "Taxpayers are fed up with them and we must protect taxpayers from tax increases caused by reassessment."
The measure mandates that all taxing jurisdictions, regardless of whether they are operating
at or below their tax rate ceiling, must roll back their tax rate to counter reassessment increases.
Currently, only taxing jurisdictions operating at their tax rate ceiling are required by Missouri's
Constitution to roll back to protect taxpayers, leaving taxing jurisdictions operating below their
ceiling to approve back door tax increases with no legal recourse. Sarah Haenni, a St. Louis County advocate with a property tax watchdog group said the measure would keep homeowners from being taxed out of their homes. "This problem affects everyone and it's time for reform," she said. "Sen. Gibbons' bill puts teeth back into the Hancock Amendment to protect taxpayers."
The bill also closes a loophole that allows taxing districts to apply new voter approved levies
to future and unknown assessments. Gibbons said the "truth in taxation" provision will protect
taxpayers by preventing "a double whammy" on taxpayers. It also requires that taxpayers receive an estimated tax bill along with their reassessment notices. It also increases The Senior Citizen Property Tax credit award from $750 to $1100. "We also must better protect our low income seniors and the disabled by expanding tax relief programs so they won't be taxed out of their homes," he said.
Source: Sen. Gibbons Presents Bill Mandating Rollbacks, Closing Loopholes with Truth in Taxation, Predicting Increases and Expanding Relief
Missouri Taxpayers for Michael Gibbons to be our next Attorney General.
and the disabled. "We must stop these back door tax increases," Gibbons told the Senate Ways and Means Committee. "Taxpayers are fed up with them and we must protect taxpayers from tax increases caused by reassessment."
The measure mandates that all taxing jurisdictions, regardless of whether they are operating
at or below their tax rate ceiling, must roll back their tax rate to counter reassessment increases.
Currently, only taxing jurisdictions operating at their tax rate ceiling are required by Missouri's
Constitution to roll back to protect taxpayers, leaving taxing jurisdictions operating below their
ceiling to approve back door tax increases with no legal recourse. Sarah Haenni, a St. Louis County advocate with a property tax watchdog group said the measure would keep homeowners from being taxed out of their homes. "This problem affects everyone and it's time for reform," she said. "Sen. Gibbons' bill puts teeth back into the Hancock Amendment to protect taxpayers."
The bill also closes a loophole that allows taxing districts to apply new voter approved levies
to future and unknown assessments. Gibbons said the "truth in taxation" provision will protect
taxpayers by preventing "a double whammy" on taxpayers. It also requires that taxpayers receive an estimated tax bill along with their reassessment notices. It also increases The Senior Citizen Property Tax credit award from $750 to $1100. "We also must better protect our low income seniors and the disabled by expanding tax relief programs so they won't be taxed out of their homes," he said.
Source: Sen. Gibbons Presents Bill Mandating Rollbacks, Closing Loopholes with Truth in Taxation, Predicting Increases and Expanding Relief
Missouri Taxpayers for Michael Gibbons to be our next Attorney General.
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