Clay County commissioner beset by controversy will not run for another term
Clay County Commissioner Luann Ridgeway announced on Friday she will not seek another term.
Ridgeway, in an email announcement, said she will serve out her current term as Clay County eastern commissioner, which concludes early next year. Elections for her seat will be held in an August primary and November general election.
“When my term of office concludes, I leave Clay County with a bright future regardless of who holds our various offices or what form our county government might take,” Ridgeway said. “But make no mistake, I intend to work hard and keep moving forward right up until the last day of my term of office that the people have entrusted to me.”
Ridgeway’s announcement said her name will not appear on a ballot for the first time since 1992 — she served in the Missouri General Assembly before running for Clay County Commission in 2012 — and that she is taking on ventures that do not include elected office.
She did not immediately respond to a message seeking clarification on those new ventures.
Ridgeway’s announcement specified a number of accomplishments during her time as Clay County commissioner, including launching a transparency portal that lists some county financial information online.
But her time in office in Clay County has been a rocky one. More than 9,000 Clay County citizens signed a petition to invite the Missouri auditor to examine county government’s finances and performance. A group of residents, led by activist Jason Withington, spearheaded the petition for an audit as they suspected corruption and taxpayer waste by county government.
“It’s a glorious day,” Withington said of Ridgeway’s announcement. “She’s doing the right thing.”
Ridgeway and fellow Clay County Western District Commissioner Gene Owen have opposed the audit, and legal disputes between Missouri Auditor Nicole Galloway and the county over the auditor’s authority remain entangled in the court system.
Ridgeway and Owen have formed a consistent voting bloc on the three-member commission, outvoting Clay County Presiding Commissioner Jerry Nolte on nearly all substantive issues.
Both Ridgeway and Owen approved a budget, over Nolte’s objection, that cut funding for the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. The cuts rendered the sheriff unable to pay vendors to provide inmate health care and food last year.
Clay County Sheriff Paul Vescovo sued the county, suspecting that the budget cuts were retribution for his office’s initial investigation into Clay County chief budget officer Laurie Portwood, who was suspected of involvement in tampering with public records. Portwood later entered into a non-prosecution agreement to resolve the charges.
Vescovo won that lawsuit, resulting in a court order to fully fund his department as well as pay a portion of his office’s legal fees.
Ridgeway’s decision not to run had been foreshadowed before her announcement on Friday.
Her campaign and fundraising activity had been limited. Campaign finance records show she had raised $1,200 so far this election cycle. She spent nearly $3,000 at the Apple shop for a new computer on Nov. 1.
Clay County Clerk Megan Thompson and Doug Ervin, a Kearney Republican who works for Cerner, have announced their intention to run for Ridgeway’s seat.
“I would say Commissioner Ridgeway has had long and distinguished service in government,” Nolte said. “And I look forward to Clay County taking a new direction from where we have been and hope to build on what we have achieved as a county up to this point.”
