When state Rep. Jason Mumpower neglected to report his comics collection to the Tennessee Ethics Commission, somebody dropped a dime. Or, rather, an email.
Mumpower needn’t worry, though: His 17,000 comics apparently don’t qualify as a financial investment that must be disclosed to the commission.
“My common sense tells me that isn’t something that should be reported,” Bruce Androphy, the commission’s executive director, tells the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Mumpower, the 35-year-old House Republican Leader, says he’s been collecting comics since he was 12, and has no idea of their value.
He notes that President-Elect Barack Obama also is a comics fan. (He reportedly likes Conan and Spider-Man.)
“There are two things Barack Obama and I have in common: We both collect comic books, and we both have big ears,” Mumpower told the newspaper.
November 13th, 2008 at 3:02 am
interesting.
November 13th, 2008 at 4:15 am
To paraphrase Pink Floyd:
“HEY, CONGRESS!!!!
LEAVE OUR GEEKS ALONE!!!!!!”
November 13th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
Not quite an accurate interpretation of the original news report published within the Knoxville News Sentinel:
“State law requires disclosure of investments worth $10,000 or more.
Androphy said investments are typically purchased with an eye toward selling at a profit later, while Mumpower “may want to be buried with them or leave them to his family or something.”
Besides, Androphy said, the law is aimed at giving notice of financial interests that could pose a conflict with an official’s public duties.
A comic book collection, he said, “doesn’t strike me as something the public would need to know about.” Androphy said his comments were off the cuff, and he might need to research the matter for a definitive answer.”
Androphy is the executive director of the Tennessee Ethics Commission (and not the entire TEC board consisting of six other members) — the entire TEC could need to be conveined in order to clear an invetsiagted ethics matter.
Comic books? Not a problem for House leader
Republican doesn’t need to list as investment
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/nov/12/comic-books-not-a-problem/