Hamilton County Commissioner Greg Beck filed a required personal financial disclosure report with the Tennessee Ethics Commission just a few days after the panel included him in a complaint for missing the deadline.
“We were happy to get that in,” said Mr. Beck, also a Democratic candidate for sheriff.
The Tennessee Center for Policy Research, a Nashville organization that promotes conservative tax policies, on Friday filed a complaint against eight local officials, including Mr. Beck, whom the group said missed the deadline for submitting the report.
“I’m happy that Commissioner Beck decided to abide by the law,” said Drew Johnson, president of the Tennessee Center for Policy Research.
Mr. Johnson said there are still hundreds of officials who have not filed reports, and his organization plans to continue filing complaints. As for those who have filed, Mr. Johnson encouraged Tennesseeans to check the reports for possible conflicts of interest.
Mr. Beck said the Feb. 15 due date for the report slipped by him.
“They were right,” he said. “I hadn’t filed it.”
But Mr. Beck said pulling together the information for the report was relatively easy, and he got the report in Monday. The report appeared on the Ethics Commission Web site Tuesday.
Mr. Beck’s report lists a Hamilton County salary, a Chattanooga City Court salary and a pension as his sources of income. His wife’s sole source of income is a Taylor Funeral Home salary, according to the report.
“We don’t have any great sources of income other than the work that we do,” he said.
Bruce Adrophy, executive director of the Tennessee Ethics Commission, said he could not say whether penalties will be issued.
“That would ultimately be up to the commission,” he said. “The most important thing is to get the forms, not necessarily to fine anybody.”
Mr. Androphy said the commission likely will send out warning letters next week to officials who have not filed their reports.
