Crow to Run as Independent

Janet Crow’s campaign for the Howell County Collector’s seat has pivoted away from defending her position on the August Primary ballot. She has withdrawn as a Republican and announced a plan to run as an Independent in the general election in November. 

The two Republican candidates for Howell County Collector effectively kicked off their campaigns in court when Mark Collins filed a lawsuit against his opponent, Janet Crow, and the election authority, Howell County Clerk Kelly Waggoner. As previously reported by Howell County News, Collins alleged Crow missed the deadline to file for office and that her filing documents were not properly notarized. Ultimately, the suit’s goal was to remove Crow from the August ballot. If successful, Collins would have been the only candidate in the field.

Since Collins filed suit on April 29, Crow’s camp has attempted to have the suit dismissed, arguing that she was never served papers according to election law. Judge Steven Lynxwiler denied the request in a hearing on May 6.

Because primary ballots will be certified by May 24, time is of the essence. Crow’s attorney Zane Privette confirmed they attempted to pursue a writ at the appeals court level, but on May 10, the writ was also denied. 

“Writs are extraordinary remedies, almost an expedited appeal,” Privette said in an email to the News. “Being what they are, they are very difficult to obtain and very rarely granted and only in the most exceptional circumstances Ö When the appellate court denies a writ, they’re not agreeing with the trial court’s decision - like when they affirm a trial court’s judgment. Rather, they’re merely saying, ‘we’re not giving you this extraordinary relief you’re asking for and we’ll hear it on appeal later, if we need to.”

At the time of this writing, the court case is pending, with both depositions and hearings scheduled this month. 

Crow withdrew as a candidate in the Republican Primary on May 11, confirms a document obtained from the Howell County Clerk’s office. 

“In withdrawing my name, my opponent will now be forced to drop his lawsuit,” Crow said in a press release published May 12. 

In a phone interview Monday morning, Mark Collins reiterated his point that Crow’s filing documents did not meet statutory requirements. He said he had not yet been “officially” informed of his opponent’s withdrawal, so he was reticent to comment too freely.

In her release, Crow defends her position on the Republican ballot saying, “I have been advised by the election authority and the Secretary of State’s office that my paperwork was in good order. Despite those assurances, there were still real concerns about the court’s interpretation of the applicable statute in relation to the time I left the clerk’s office at 5:02 p.m. even though I got there a few minutes after 4:00 p.m.”

“The main point was the affidavit,” Collins said Monday morning. “What she submitted [the day she filed] was just an email. It was May 3 before we received the bonding document. The statutes clearly state it has to be an affidavit.”

An affidavit is a sworn statement, usually notarized. Crow’s surety bond letter submitted at the time of filing was not, in fact, notarized.

Election rules should be followed by everybody, Collins said. 

 

The path to the ballot

In the release, Crow vows to “give the voters a choice” by running as an Independent in November’s General Election. To appear on the ballot as an Independent, Crow will need signatures from 253 registered voters in Howell County. She has until July 28 to collect 2% of the total number of voters who voted at the last election for candidates for the office being sought, according to information from the Missouri Secretary of State. Election records from the Howell County Clerk show that 12,605 voters cast ballots for the Collector of Revenue on November 6, 2018.

In response to follow-up questions from Howell County News, Crow said she is “the same conservative Republican that filed to be on the Republican ticket for the August Primary Election. I feel I am truly the only real conservative Republican running for collector. My opponent’s filing of this lawsuit against Howell County, the County Clerk Kelly Waggoner, and myself has done nothing but cost the taxpayers of Howell County vital funds that could have been used wisely in other places.”

Crow said she has a long and active history with the Republican Party.

“I feel the local Republican Party leadership has been put in a horrible position by my opponent’s actions,” Crow said. “I feel if the County Clerk and her staff had not had the interference and disruption by my opponent at my time of filing, we would not be having this discussion today.”

 

For in-depth coverage on this story, see previously published stories on www.howellcountynews.com, or back issues of relevant editions may be obtained from the news office for 75 cents each.