Ethics issue part of Stewart, Fillios campaign

Kootenai County District 2 commissioner candidate Chris Fillios responded to questions raised by incumbent David Stewart regarding Fillios’ reimbursement as East Side Highway District commissioner.

Stewart said Fillios’ receipt of $25 per month from the highway district to pay for Internet service at his home is “highly unethical,” because Fillios’ wife Linda owns and runs Advent Appraisals, a home-based business that also relies on Internet connectivity. Fillios said the company does not pay for the Internet service at the house as that comes out of the couple’s private account.

“Every one of us three commissioners get $25 per month as a stipend for our Internet service,” Fillios said. “There are not exceptions for me. That policy pre-dates me coming into office in 2011. I get reimbursed for partially using the Internet service.”

Stewart has also challenged Fillios’ mileage reporting as a highway district commissioner, including 10.4 miles each time he drives from his home to the highway district office and for declaring mileage for three meetings he supposedly didn’t attend.

Stewart said he doesn’t believe declaring mileage from home to the district is an allowable reimbursable expense under law, but Fillios said he believes the code applies to employees, not elected officials such as himself.

“The IRS does not consider us employees,” Fillios said. “The policy for reimbursement was also established by highway district commissioners before us.”

Fillios also provided a letter from the highway district that states it is the district’s policy to reimburse commissioners for travel expenses.

With one of the meetings Stewart accused Fillios of not being at, Fillios said he showed up late. With another meeting, Fillios said he wrote the wrong date on the mileage report, but he still attended a meeting on a different date that had the same amount of miles.

Fillios said he hasn’t been questioned by anyone in the highway district regarding mileage or Internet reimbursement questions and the district’s audit was approved.