Ketron Hit With Another Ethics Complaint
From WSMV: NASHVILLE, Tenn — The Democratic candidate vying for the District 13 seat held by Sen. Bill Ketron said Thursday he plans to file a complaint with the state alleging that the Murfreesboro Republican used his district legislative office as his campaign headquarters. Vince Springer of Spring Hill has claimed that Ketron’s district office address is the same as the one for his campaign headquarters and is on his campaign disclosure statements filed with the Tennessee Registry of Election Finance.
Springer planned a news conference Thursday afternoon to announce he’s filing an ethics complaint against Ketron with the registry.
According to the Tennessee statute, members of the General Assembly are given a monthly $1,000 allowance “to provide for expenses necessitated in connection with the member’s official duties when away from the seat of government including, but not limited to, telecommunications, office, secretarial and other assistance or incidental expenses.”
Cody York, Ketron’s campaign spokesman, said the address Springer is referring to is Ketron’s “place of work” and “where he gets his personal mail, his business mail and campaign mail.”
“The senator does not use this address as his legislative district office,” York said. “He is not taking public money to pay for his campaign office.”
If a complaint is filed with the registry, it will be the second against Ketron. Last month, a Smyrna man accused Ketron of not properly disclosing his campaign contributors, even though Ketron denied the allegation.
No official complaint was filed, but Springer has also accused Ketron of spending more than $40,000 from his legislative mailing account to promote campaign events in his district.
Ketron, however, also denied that allegation, saying “everything I did was above aboard.”
