Houston pastor appointed to Missouri Ethics Commission

On Tuesday, Gov. Mike Parson appointed two new members to the Missouri Ethics Commission, giving the panel enough members to act on complaints.

William “Bill” Villapiano, the pastor of Faith Fellowship of Houston, was among the appointees alongside Rep. Kathie Conway, of St. Charles.

With the appointments, there are now four members on the ethics commission, enough for a quorum.

There are six spots on the ethics commission. As it stands, three members are Republicans, one is a Democrat, and there are two vacancies.

No more than three members may belong to one political party.

Without a quorum, the ethics commission had been forced to take “no action” on numerous complaints since April.

One complaint the commission couldn’t act on was against two western Missouri school board members accused of violating district purchasing policies.

The commission also didn’t act on a complaint against St. Louis County Councilwoman Rita Heard Days, which alleged “improper identification of the committee’s name and treasurer on campaign materials,” according to the “no action” finding.

“The commission will consider any complaints that are refiled on any matter in which there was no action,” Liz Ziegler, executive director of the commission, said Tuesday.