The Cass County Clerk’s office has a record of nepotism. In the previous case, County Clerk Janet Burlingame was charged with paying family members to move voting equipment during an election. The Presiding Circuit Judge at that time, Jacqueline Cook, dropped those charges because they had occurred during Burlingame’s previous term.

A new act of nepotism has been discovered and the report of this new case was released last Friday, August 9, 2013. This time it is an act of nepotism in Burlingame’s current term—she hired her niece, Marissa Scott, to work during the April 2011 election and paid her $120 according to documents filed with the county. Those documents were delivered to the Cass County Commission and to the County Prosecutor, Theresa Hensley.

I received a copy of that public report. You can find it here.

http://www.crucis.net/CC_Auditors_Report/Nepotism-JB-042011.pdf

Prosecutor Hensley, a democrat, refused to charge fellow democrat Pam Shipley when she was charged with nepotism previously. In this new case, Hensley has had the documents for a week and what have we heard from her? 

** Crickets **    ** Crickets **

Yes, that’s right. Nothing.

We now have another instance of nepotism that fulfills Judge Cook’s definition—paying a first-degree relative, in this case her niece, Marissa Scott, to work an election during her current term in office. Will Theresa Hensley follow the law and file nepotism charges this time? Or, will she follow the democrat party rules to never charge a fellow democrat with crimes committed in office…like she did the last time.

We, Cass County, made a significant step in 2012 by electing new county officers and removing corrupt ones. Now, it’s time to remove the last vestiges of corruption in the County Clerk’s and Collector’s office.

Nepotism is a political sickness that must be eradicated. No good ever comes from it.