Two of the owners of Certified Motors Inc. in St. Louis, MO, who also serve on the Village of Riverview’s Board of Trustees, were recently fined for sending the village’s dump truck to their business for transmission repairs. The two broke state laws that prevent elected officials from using their positions for personal gain.

Below is the article as it appeared on the stltoday.com website.

Riverview officials fined for steering work to their family business

January 12, 2012
By Jake Wagman

ST. LOUIS — Not only do Steve Paro and his sister-in-law Phyllis Paro share a last name, they also operate a family business together and hold elected positions in the same St. Louis County hamlet.

But, at the very least, the pair did not do enough to keep those connections from overlapping, resulting in a sanction from the state agency that enforces conflict-of-interest laws.

In a consent order released this week by the Missouri Ethics Commission, the two Paros acknowledged breaking state laws designed to prevent elected officials from using their positions for personal gain.

Steve Paros’ brother, Michael, is married to Phyllis. The three own and operate an auto repair shop, Certified Motors Inc., on Diamond Drive in Viewer.

Steve and Phyllis are also two of the five members on the Village of Riverview’s Board of Trustees, with Steve serving as chairman.

In October 2010, the Board of Trustees became aware that the transmission on the village dump truck needed to be replaced. The board voted unanimously to purchase the part from GM, and have it installed by a private mechanic. 

But, instead of purchasing the transmission straight from GM, the Paros bought the part themselves and installed it through their repair shop.

The Paros, according to the consent order, sent the village a bill for just under $3,000, which included $388 for labor and a $45 mark-up on the transmission.

To read the entire article on the stltoday.com website, visit http://bit.ly/xtYKst.