Councilman Faces Ethics Charges

Mount Pleasant Town Councilman Ken Glasson faces a July hearing on charges he violated state ethics rules while campaigning for a second term in 2011.

Glasson, re-elected in November, is accused of converting campaign money to personal use by purchasing food and fuel without keeping proper records, according to the four-page hearing notice released this week.

The commission also alleges Glasson did not open a campaign checking account in a timely manner when he accepted a $1,000 campaign contribution in June 2011. He deposited the contribution in August 2011.

The charges are minor, a state official says, and Glasson the case will be closed before a hearing if he signs off on paperwork this week, an ethics commission attorney says. But offenses like these carry a maximum fine of $2,000 per violation, unless serious violations are noted.

"Once made aware of the (accusations), I immediately reached out to the South Carolina State Ethics Commission in order to answer any all questions," Glasson said.

Glasson's campaign disclosures show several charges for gas and meals consumed while on the road. Charges appear from Beaufort, Summerville and Hamer, S.C.

"After discussions with the Ethic Commission's General Council, Ms. Cathy Hazelwood, I made two technical amendments to my November, 2011 campaign finance report," he said.

Glasson, a retired U.S. Marine Corps lieutenant colonel, provided further clarification to the commission about how he used the campaign funds and why those dollars were related to his re-election campaign.

The alleged violations are "not serious in the sense of attempting to hide things," Hazlewood told Patch this week.

Though Glasson said he has been informed the matter "closed," the commission still considers the matter in progress.

"The hearing is scheduled for July 18; however, I am drafting a consent order for Mr. Glasson's signature," Hazlewood said. "If it's not signed, then there will be a hearing."

Former Councilman Joe Bustos, who was also on the ballot with Glasson in November, filed the complaint. He detailed six actions he believed violated state ethics rules, but the commission only substantiated two of those allegations.