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The council’s ethics committee sent registered letters in mid-August that asked the five parties to attend its meeting Wednesday to discuss their roles in hiring and assigning work to Clancy.

Clancy, a Democrat who represents the 5th District, earned about $4,500 in the summer of 2019 by writing grant applications for a company seeking a license. At the same time, Clancy also was an active participant in council discussion and was a strong supporter of measures beneficial to the marijuana industry.

Those who declined to attend were Steven Tilley, a marijuana lobbyist and former speaker of the Missouri House; Winston Calvert, former chief of staff to County Executive Sam Page; Stephen Hiotis, a lawyer at the Summer Compton Wells firm; a representative of VG S. Lindbergh LLC, the dispensary that benefited from Clancy’s work; and Shelby Partridge, the “whistleblower” who told the council in July about Clancy’s work.

“We hoped (the five) would respond ... or at least provide some insight,” said Councilman Mark Harder, chairman of the ethics committee and a Republican who represents the 7th District. “But they chose not to.”

The committee now will consider filing requests under the state Sunshine Laws to access emails sent and received by Clancy, and also to mail a set of questions to the five people who declined to attend the meeting.

Harder said legal research done since the first meeting indicates that county conflict-of-interest ordinances no longer apply since Clancy’s actions took place more than one year ago.

Councilman Tim Fitch, R-3rd District, noted complaints to the Missouri Ethics Commission can be made up to four years after an incident.