State Ethics Board Says Johnston Schools Staffers Violated Campaign Laws

Fifteen Johnston school district employees violated state campaign law, the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board has ruled.

School board member John Dutcher filed a complaint last year with the state board that included more than 400 pages of emails as evidence. He claimed that district employees used public resources in 2011 to advocate for the election of four school board candidates, Deb Henry, Jill Morrill, Mike Farrell and Greg Dockum. All four were elected in September 2011.

The state board dismissed the allegation in September, the Des Moines Register reports, but agreed to look at whether district employees violated the law. That decision was made on Thursday.

Dutcher, who is not seeking another term in this fall's election, has asked that the issue be placed on Monday's school board agenda.
District communications director Laura Dillavou said Friday afternoon that the item is not on Monday's board agenda.
Disciplinary actions against employees are personnel issues that the district can't discuss publicly, she added.

Superintendent Clay Guthmiller talked with employees involved in the emails after Dutcher first made an issue of them in July 2012, the Register reported. Many of the employees had write-ups put in their personnel files.

Guthmiller sent a memo outlining the district’s policy on involvement in elections to all staff members last year after Dutcher filed the complaint, the newspaper said. He intends to send another message in the near future to remind staff of the policy ahead of this year’s school board election.

• Joan Sparland – reprimand and $100 civil penalty.  She sent several emails encouraging recipients to sign their names to a letter to the editor endorsing 4 candidates. 
• Missie Linder - reprimand.  Responded yes to an email from one of the candidates asking that her name be added to the letter to the editor
• Becky Heikes - reprimand.  Responded yes to an email from one of the candidates asking that her name be added to the letter to the editor

• Patrick Mattingly - reprimand.  Responded yes to an email from one of the candidates asking that his name be added to the letter to the editor

• Kristen Schroeder – admonish.  Sent emails to her parents telling them not to vote for John Dutcher.  Dutcher was not on the ballot. 

• Matt Hiatt – admonish.  Responded to an email from a friend or significant other and encouraged him to vote for four candidates.

• Mary Moermond - admonish.  Responded to an email from a friend and told friend who she is voting for in the school board election.  She also emailed her husband and told him not to forget to vote and again told him who she was voting for without expressly telling him that’s who he should vote for.

• Brian Town – reprimand.  A wife of one of the candidates sent a mass email encouraging recipients to vote for her husband.  This email was forwarded by one of the recipients to Brian and a few others.  Brian responded to all that he “couldn’t agree more!”

• Jodi Buchan – admonish.  Jodi sent an email reminder to a friend about voting.  She stated “fab four: Farrell, Dockum, Henry and Morrill” 

• Wendy Quam - reprimand, $100 civil penalty and remedial action in the form of a letter of apology to the two parents.  Wendy sent an email to the parents of her students reminding the parents of the election and the importance of the election.  She encouraged parents to contact her if they would like her opinion on the best candidates.  Two parents responded and Wendy encouraged these parents to vote for four candidates. 

• Brian Vaughan (DM school district employee) – admonish.  Responded to email from wife asking him who she was supposed to vote for. 

• Ann Eckermann - admonish.  Emailed her husband and told him where to vote.  Then listed three candidates. 

• Mary Haden – admonish.  Emailed her husband reminding him to vote and the listed 4 candidates. 

• Don Hunderdosse - reprimand.  Don responded to a mass email that expressly advocated in favor of four candidates by stating “good call Wilson!!!

• Julie Probst – admonish.  Responded to husband’s inquiry on where to vote and who to vote for.