Missouri Ethics Commission records show that the Missouri First Committee, based in Jefferson City, received a donation on 3/20/23 of $9,000 from Republic Services of Phoenix, Arizona. The December 6, 2022 report for Missouri First listed only $179.83 of money on hand and the January Limited Activity report gave no changes. Friends of Ella M. Jones received a donation of $500 on 3/28/23 from Missouri First from the funds given to them by Republic Services in a quiet corporate donation. Republic Services holds the contract for residential trash removal from the City of Ferguson, which is approved by a vote of the Council, creating a potential conflict of interest in receiving the donation.
During the last mayoral election in 2020, many residents may recall a Facebook exchange which can no longer be located online but from which a meme was made and shared online. The meme indicates that Ella M. Jones responded to criticism about her finance reports then with the comment: “$500 can’t buy my vote I have shoes cost more than that.”
Additionally, an amended filing from the Friends of Ella M. Jones campaign reported that a donation of $1,000 from the Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 562 Political Education Fund was made on 3/22/23. The amendment states that the donation came in after the report was filed on 3/26/23. The amended report states that the Friends of Ella M. Jones committee has $6,655.25 of money on hand at the end of the report period of 3/23/23.