Cessna Citation: Complaints filed with election board against metro-east candidates

A candidate for the 5th Appellate Court spent Oct. 2 flying around the southern part of Illinois in a private plane owned by Luhr Brothers, owners of a construction company in Columbia, according to a complaint filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections.

A campaign disclosure complaint was filed Friday with the Illinois Board of Elections against Steve McGlynn, a Republican who is running for a seat in the 5th Appellate District Court. The complaint was filed by the campaign for his Democratic opponent, Judy Cates.

"Their claim has no merit," said Matthew Pickett, campaign manager for Steve McGlynn, who is currently serving by appointment as a St. Clair County Circuit Judge.

McGlynn spent Oct. 2 flying around Southern Illinois, making campaign stops, the complaint alleged, in a plane Federal Aviation Administration records showed belonged to the Luhr Brothers construction company. McGlynn stated that he was joined on the trip by the president of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce.

"Witnesses who saw him arrive at the various airports say he was flying in a Cessna Citation -- a small private jet that can costs as much as $4,000 to operate," stated a Cates campaign release.

The Cates campaign alleged the McGlynn failed to disclosed the cost of the flight, fuel or plane use.

The complaint also alleges that McGlynn failed to disclose a $10,000 contribution from the Illinois State Medical Society's political action committee.

"The people of Illinois have seen enough corruption in their political officials. We need judges they can trust to follow and uphold the law," Cates said. "My opponent's campaign is being bankrolled by large corporations, people and PACs who think this election can be purchased. This kind of mentality needs to stop."

The PAC spent money to promote McGlynn without the campaign having any prior knowledge of it, called an independent expenditure, Pickett said, but didn't furnish any goods, advertising or services to the campaign, an in-kind contribution. The reporting requirements are different, Pickett said, and the McGlynn campaign is in compliance.

"If a sitting judge receives a large campaign contribution from a PAC and does not report this contribution as required by Illinois law, how can the citizens of Illinois place their trust in him to be fair and uphold the law," Cates said. "It's a matter of integrity."

Another campaign disclosure complaint was filed in a Madison County race.

Madison County State's Attorney Tom Gibbons has accused Alton attorney Amy Sholar, his opponent in the Nov. 6 election, of failing to follow state campaign disclosure laws.

Gibbons, a Democrat appointed in 2010, said Thursday he has filed a complaint with the Illinois State Board of Elections alleging that Sholar, a Republican, failed to disclose in-kind contributions to her campaign as well as television advertising expenditures of about $35,000. Gibbons, who was named state's attorney by the County Board to fill the term of William Mudge who became a judge, and Sholar are running for the first time in the upcoming election.

"The whole point of campaign finance laws is to provide transparency to citizens, voters. Anyone interested has a right to know what goes on in political campaigns," said Gibbons. "That's why campaigns are required to say where the money comes from and where it goes."

Sholar's campaign "inadvertently" omitted from a required campaign contribution report "certain in-kind contributions" and Sholar promised to file an amended document with the state election board.

The complaints will be reviewed by the Illinois Board of Elections, said Tom Newman, deputy director of campaign disclosure. There will be a preliminary hearing in the next few weeks to determine whether there are any just grounds to the complaints.

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