EXCLUSIVE: Iowa Senate shocker - contracts awarded to Joni Ernst's father raise conflict of interest questions

Father of GOP nominee won $200,000 in contracts when Joni Ernst was in office, despite conflict of interest rules

By Luke Brinker

Published October 7, 2014 10:59AM (EDT)

A construction company owned by GOP Iowa Senate candidate JoniErnst's father received more than $200,000 in county contracts __while she served as auditor __of Montgomery County, Iowa, despite a strict conflict of interest code governing the provision of contracts to family members of county officials.

A new review of records as well as an analysis of the Code of Iowa by Salon reveals that the nature of the contracts and how they were promulgated, may have violated relevant county standards.

Ernst is facing Democratic congressman Bruce Braley in a neck-and-neck race to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin. Polls show it as too close to call (with several polls finding Ernst with a small lead). Given the volatility of several Senate races this cycle, this particular campaign could potentially help decide which party controls the Senate.

Ernst was elected Montgomery County auditor in 2004, serving in that role until her 2011 election to the state Senate seat she currently holds. Among the duties a county auditor “may perform,” according to the Iowa State Association of County Auditors, are issuing contract bid notices and soliciting and receiving contract proposals. Minutes from an April 2007 Montgomery County Supervisors meeting – printed in the Red Oak Express – note Ernst’s involvement in county contracts, stating that Ernst would “work [the] issue” of advertising bids for a roofing project in the county.

The Iowa Code lays out stringent conflict of interest standards for county contracts. Chapter 331 of the code stipulates that “[a]n officer or employee of a county shall not have an interest, direct, or indirect, in a contract with that county.” The provision applies if 5 percent of a company’s outstanding stock is owned by either a county employee or an immediate family member – including a parent – of an employee.

Still, a search by Salon of Montgomery County records reveals that Culver Construction – a construction company owned by Ernst’s father, Richard Culver – received $215,665 in county contracts during Ernst’s tenure as auditor. The six contracts, all awarded between 2009 and 2010, included five totaling $204,794 from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for such projects as road and flood damage repairs.

County supervisors approved FEMA contracts for Culver ranging in size from an $8,960 grant in December 2010 for the repair of three flood-damaged sites to a $63,501 contract for secondary road construction in August 2009. Supervisors also approved FEMA contracts for Culver of $32,425, $40,428, and $59,480.

According to Montgomery County Supervisors minutes printed in the Red Oak Express, the supervisors unanimously approved Ernst's appointment as the county’s chief financial officer for federal and state assistance following flooding in Iowa on June 7, 2007. Ernst held the role concurrently with her position as county auditor.

Supervisors also awarded Culver a $10,871 contract for a Department of Homeland Security project in April 2010.

As county auditor, Ernst did not have a vote in approving contracts for Culver Construction or any other contractors. Still, the state code’s conflict of interest provision calls for contracts to be voided if any county “officer or employee” has an interest in the contractor.

Late last week, the Des Moines Register reported that American Democracy Legal Fund, a group founded by liberal media watchdog David Brock, has filed a complaint with Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, seeking Miller’s opinion on whether Culver Construction’s contracts violated the state’s conflicts of interest law. The Register’s report did not list the details of Culver Construction’s contracts, noting only that they totaled $215,665. The details of the contracts are first being reported here, as is the relevant section of the code that pertains to potential conflicts.

As Ernst seeks to defeat Braley and retake a long-Democratic Senate seat, Culver Construction has ranked among her top campaign contributors. According to figures compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics, Ernst’s campaign has received $10,400 in donations from her father’s company.

Spokespersons for the Ernst and Braley campaigns did not respond to Salon’s requests for comment on this story.

https://www.salon.com/2014/10/07/exclusive_contracts_awarded_to_joni_ernsts_father_raise_conflict_of_interest_questions/

all pb

>>22186689, >>22186717, >>22186734, >>22186777, >>22186801, >>22186807, >>22186822, >>22186822, >>22187004, >>22187004, >>22187017, >>22187075, >>22187081, >>22187090, >>22187101, >>22187126 Ernst diggz

>>22187530

>EXCLUSIVE: Iowa Senate shocker - contracts awarded to Joni Ernst's father raise conflict of interest questions

Does Joni Ernst Support Traditional Divorce?

Monday, June 16, 2014 at 3:14:36p EDT

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Joni Ernst considers herself to be a "defender of traditional marriage". But how does she feel about traditional divorce?

This is an important question to ask, as the Iowa GOP's 2012 platform called for an end to no-fault divorce. Additionally, a bill banning no fault divorce for parents of minor children cleared an Iowa House subcommittee last year, before the clock ran out on full committee passage.

The Ernst/Culver family tree (much like many, if not most such family trees) is filled with many tangled branches of divorce and remarriage. Her clan has been taking full advantage of modern, no-fault divorce laws to seek more perfect unions. Including her own parents.

photo jmom_zpsb7b3ee27.jpgJoni Ernst's mother Marilyn Culver

photo jdadmonica_zps9f018973.jpg Joni Ernst's father Richard Culver and new "Mom" Monica Culver

More importantly, if Joni's husband Gail Ernst, had been unable to obtain a no-fault divorce from his wife Ingrid Nesbit (she has also since remarried) they could not have married themselves.Perhaps the proximate cause of his divorce was Gail's falling in love with the young college ROTC woman a few years older than his eldest daughter Regina. Gail describes meeting Joni, "the future Mrs. Ernst".

If that is indeed the case, than Ingrid could have sought out a traditional divorce on the grounds of adultery. Adultery is still prosecuted in the military under Article 134 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.It is hard to prove. But adultery that had been proven in a court of law between two enlisted military members would have likely meant the destruction of both Joni and Gail's military careers, simply because of who they loved.

Given that, perhaps even Joni Ernst can agree that sometimes it is for the best that traditions evolve.

photo jfamily_zpsff59a711.jpgLeft to right, Joni's stepdaughter Jennifer Thompson-Medina, daughter Libby Ernst, husband Gail Ernst, Joni Ernst, stepdaughter Regina Ernst

>>22187555

> Gail describes meeting Joni, "the future Mrs. Ernst".

Sorry, we couldn't find what you're looking for.

> https://las.iastate.edu/plaza/one_name.php?id=378

Joni Kay Ernst

Not Found

Stanton Iowa

Bio:

Joni is a very remarkable woman who constantly amazes me with her concern for others, charitable nature and selfless outlook on life. She is always the first to volunteer her spare time for any worthwhile cause and is frustrated by the lack of participation by others in such events. I mustqualify this endorsement by stating upfront that I am the very very fortunate man that she marriedand that I love her more than life itself- however this will be as unbiased as possible! Here is her story.

Joni was born July 1, 1970 and grew up on a farm in Red Oak Iowa with one older sister and one younger brother. She graduated from Stanton High School honored as the valedictorian of her class. Entering college life at Iowa State University Joni answered another calling and chose to enter the Army ROTC program and also serve her country. In her sophomore year she led a group of young adults from Iowa on the first visit to the Ukraine. She was responsible for the planning coordination and execution of the entire travel itinerary lodging feeding and care of the group. This trip fostered more foreign diplomacy and friendshiptoward the United States than all the years of political attempts at diplomacy.

Giving more of her free time to worthy causes Joni volunteered to work at a safehouse for battered and abused women and children in Ames Iowa. Answering a beeper call at mostly inconvenient and late hours Joni would head to a hospital police station or safehouse to give comfort to a woman or child in need of support. This was accomplished without deterring herfrom a full class schedule and the ROTCcommitment as well.__ It was at this time that I met __and fell in love with the future Mrs. Ernst.

Joni graduated from college and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant Army Engineer Corps. We moved to Savannah Georgia and were married while I was assigned to 1st Ranger Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment. We were married by a Ranger-qualified Chaplain and Joni assumed the role of Army wife while managing to attend and graduate from the Engineer Officer Basic Course at Fort Leonard Wood Mo.

We currently live in Columbus Ga. and Joni will graduate with a Master's Degree in Justice Administration December 1994. Here she attends graduate classes works part-time serves as a platoon leader in a Army Reserve Unit and attends all family support activities to assist the lower-ranking soldiers and families during deployments and family separations. She remains the caring compassionate woman giving of her free time to those who have needs always before thinking of her own needs.

My wife and best friend Joni will be a worthy asset to the Plaza of Heroines and I'm very proud to be the one to enter her in a place that she can be honored.

5/16/94

Honored by: Gail Ernst

>>22187555

>>22187577

Divorce documents: Sen. Ernst accuses ex-husband of abusing her

In divorce documents that were previously public but have now been sealed, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) accuses her now ex-husband, Gail Ernst, of being both physic…

Joni_Ernst_Divorce_71377-159532.jpg00541351

Author: Sarah Beckman

Published: 4:08 PM CST January 22, 2019

Updated: 4:32 PM CST January 22, 2019

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In divorce documents that were previously public but have now been sealed, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) accuses her now ex-husband, Gail Ernst, of being both physically and emotionally abusive toward her, according to documents Local 5 has obtained.

Local 5 has obtained court documents from Gail Ernst’s divorce filing on this matter as well.

In August, Sen. Ernst announced that she and her husband would be divorcing after 27 years of marriage. Now, we are learning more from both sides about why the marriage was unraveling.

According to Sen. Ernst, her husband began a “special friendship” with their daughter’s babysitter.

“He began hanging out at the babysitter’s house, even when [their daughter] wasn’t there. I confronted him about the situation, and we went through a very dark and troubling time in our marriage. I very nearly filed for divorce after a night that we argued, and it became physical. I fled the house (with their daughter) and went to my mother’s house in the middle of the night,” said Ernst, according to the court documents.

In Gail Ernst’s petition for temporary alimony and attorney fees, he stated that after “filing for divorce I allowed Joni to stay at the house because I believed that we could be civil with each other…that didn’t work out very well…”

Gail Ernst described in the court documents obtained by Local 5 that his wife began exhibiting “very bizarre behavior…” and that he didn’t “believe it is safe or proper for Joni to stay at the house any longer. She stays in hotels on tax-payer expense at no charge to her. I must travel 2-3 hours to stay with one of my daughters.”

According to court documents, Gail Ernst said that the couple’s daughter “asked her not to” run for U.S. Senate. “Friends begged her not to do it….I gave up all my aspirations and goals to be a good dad and husband so Joni could pursue her dreams…”

Documents from Sen. Ernst’s account show a different side of Gail Ernst. According to the divorce papers, Joni Ernst opened Gail’s Hotmail account on their 25th wedding anniversary last July and “what I found devastated me.” Her affidavit said: “There were e-mails in his account from a long-time girlfriend, Carla Rickert, and they were planning their respective divorces. There were disgusting sexual discussions, sharing of financials, scheming, demeaning talk about me and Carla’s husband, discussions about where they would live, house floor plans, etc. I started a downward spiral of not sleeping and eating, and I rapidly lost 17 pounds, about 13% of my body weight. My staff had to cancel two days of my appointments because I couldn’t function.”

Gail Ernst responded in his court filing by saying he never had an affair, and alleged that “she dated other men while in D.C.”

Sen. Ernst said in her filing that “the last several years have been very tense, with my work responsibilities being very heavy, but very successful, and Fail doing whatever he wanted. In the summer of 2016. I was interviewed by Candidate Trump to be the Vice President…I turned Candidate Trump down, knowing it wasn’t the right thing for me or my family.”

Sen. Ernst alleged in the documents that her now ex-husband “hated any successes I had, and would belittle me and get angry any time I achieved a goal.”

Ernst is running for her second term as U.S. Senator. She has planned events in several Iowa counties the next two days. Local 5 will seek comment from her at that time.

Gail Ernst is seeking alimony of $4,000 a month. Mr. Ernst said, “I should not have to seek employment to be able to continue with my standard of living, considering that I have served my country for 28 years on active duty as an Airborne Ranger.”

Senator Ernst also served her country and was the first female combat war veteran elected to the Senate and the first female Senator ever in Iowa history.

Local 5 has reached out to Gail Ernst’s attorney and Sen. Ernst’s office for comment. Neither has responded to our requests.

https://www.weareiowa.com/article/news/divorce-documents-sen-ernst-accuses-ex-husband-of-abusing-her/524-cca04bd2-b74c-4298-bc28-a593ca3aa058