Missouri Ethics Commission has 3 GOP seats and only 1 Democrat. Is that by design?

The Missouri Ethics Commission can finally start doing its work after going a full two months without a quorum. The commission now has the bare minimum of members required — four — to ensure compliance with campaign finance, lobbying and conflict of interest laws.

That’s the idea, anyway. It remains to be seen how well the commission will work in practice.

Gov. Mike Parson’s appointment Wednesday of two fellow Republicans to the commission stacks the campaign finance oversight agency with right-leaning members. GOP appointees outnumber Democrats 3-to-1 on the six-member commission.

For months, the MEC lacked the ability to do its job. While Parson dragged his feet, elected officials could potentially violate state laws without consequence.

Parson’s slow-walking approach to filling the vacancies raises red flags. His failure to fully staff the agency is an abrogation of responsibility. Maybe the governor was trying to stack the deck in his favor. On Tuesday, we asked his office about the four MEC vacancies at the time.

The next day, we learned Parson had filled two seats with former GOP state Rep. Kathie Conway of Wentzville and William Villapiano, a pastor from Houston.

Where are the Democrats?

A follow up question with Parson’s aides about the remaining two seats has so far gone unanswered.

Conway and Villapiano join Robert Cook, a Republican, and Democrat Helene Frischer on the commission. By law, the governor is responsible for choosing six members. No more than three can be from one political party.

We urge the governor to appoint those remaining seats expeditiously and with fairness.

Last year, the commission fined a political action committee tied to Parson thousands of dollars for campaign donation violations. Uniting Missouri, Parson’s fundraising arm, accepted $150,000 last year from a PAC associated with the meddlesome Republican Attorney Generals Association, which was not registered with the MEC, regulators ruled.

No wonder Parson was slow to move. As a longtime legislator, second-term governor and former Polk County sheriff, Parson knows the law. Why does he hesitate to follow it, then?

Parson has repeatedly failed to call special elections to fill a number of vacant Missouri House seats. Meanwhile, two members of the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners are serving on expired terms.

There can be no question about the integrity of the ethics commission. Commissioners are expected to act in a nonpartisan manner. The recent appointments meet the bare minimum requirements. Maybe another announcement is forthcoming.

Before this week, the commission had just two members as a result of the governor’s inaction. That meant it was unable to act on various complaints, including one filed against members of the Hickman Mills school board regarding school board purchasing policies. No action was taken by the MEC against Hickman’s board President DaRon McGee or board member Byron Townsend

We will keep a watchful eye on the commission’s 3-to-1 party split. Parson must govern for all Missourians, not just the ones he agrees with politically. All elected officials must obey campaign finance laws — and the commission is there by law to ensure that happens.

The governor should make staffing the Missouri Ethics Commission fully a priority.