County court should expedite audit case
The public has spoken but the judiciary in Clay County has muffled their voices through a slow response.
A petition drive succeeded in requiring Missouri Auditor Nicole Galloway to audit Clay County. She complied. Galloway’s team started the audit in late 2018.
Most county officeholders have complied with the audit. The Clay County Commission – specifically, Commmissioners Gene Owen and Luann Ridgeway – have not. They have paid lawyers at taxpayers’ expense to block Galloway’s effort to secure information from the commission’s closed-door meetings.
Galloway took the commission to court to force compliance. The court said commissioners had to give up their records. With the court having her back, Galloway then subpoenaed the required records. Commissioners shrugged off the subpoena. In response, Galloway again had to take the commission to court.
The Clay County court has not treated the case with the urgency deserved by the thousands of county residents who demanded the audit. Instead…