A group of First Ward voters want Knoth recalled because they are concerned his new job as a lobbyist for Missouri REALTORS creates a “conflict of interest.”
COLUMBIA − The push to remove Columbia First Ward council member Nick Knoth from his council seat moved closer to facing voters. The Knoth recall effort earned 370 signatures from First Ward voters, according to Columbia City Clerk Sheela Amin.
That’s more than the 336 signatures required to qualify for the April 2 municipal election. 336 votes is equivalent to 30% of the votes Knoth received when he was first elected to the council in April 2023.
Some First Ward residents want Knoth recalled because of his new job as a lobbyist for Missouri REALTORS, the statewide arm of the powerful trade group. Knoth is the director of government affairs and regional advocacy for the REALTORS in central Missouri. Knoth was previously regional director for the Better Business Bureau.
First Ward resident Laura Mitchell, who helped organize the recall effort, said she thinks Knoth’s new job creates a conflict of interest, especially since the council handles a number of real estate-related issues.
A description of Knoth’s job on the REALTORS website says he is “responsible for the monitoring of issues and education of Missouri lawmakers and regulators on legislative priorities.”
In an Oct. 12 Facebook post, Knoth said he will be “focused on the state level, not the local level, and I will not be working on issues addressed by our local city council.”
“I still think it’s a big conflict of interest,” said Allison Vaughn, a First Ward resident who voted for Knoth, and now supports the recall effort. “Kind of having this lobbyist in [the council’s] ranks, also lobby state lawmakers on behalf of realtors. That just seems shady, I’m sorry.”
In response to that comment, Knoth told KOMU 8 in an email that the Missouri Ethics Commission and the City of Columbia General Counsel both determined there is no conflict of interest between his new job and his role on the council.
“Thinking it is ‘pretty shady’ speaks to a lack of understanding between what they think I do and who they think I work for versus the reality,” Knoth said.
Knoth’s job description says he also “engages Local Boards and Associations to stay apprised of any issues that may require action or support.”
Knoth told KOMU 8 he is a “registered lobbyist for a statewide association wherein I lobby the Missouri state legislature, not any local government.”
Vaughn said she supported Knoth after meeting him for coffee. She put a Knoth sign in her yard and encouraged neighbors to vote for him. Vaughn said she’s “very particular” about who she votes for.
“I thought that this city council person would address my concerns of living small, on the grid, and progressive politics,” Vaughn said. “And so he talked the talk.”
Nick Knoth sits for a portrait on Tuesday at the Columbia Missourian Studio in Columbia.
After she learned of Knoth’s new job, Mitchell said her and about a dozen other people gathered in a neighbors backyard to discuss launching a recall effort.
In an emailed statement to KOMU 8, Knoth said, “I value and respect the rights of my constituents to voice their concerns on any subject, including this. I want to make it clear that this recall effort is not rooted in any actions or decisions I have made in my capacity as a councilman, but rather focused on what I do in my personal time to provide for my family.”
“It’s important to reiterate that my new employment does not pose any conflict of interest with my responsibilities as a councilman, this has been confirmed by both the City’s Legal Counsel as well as the Missouri Ethics Commission, and it does not affect my ability or commitment to serving the First Ward,” Knoth said.
Knoth has not recused himself from council votes and said he would only do so if “a genuine conflict of interest arises,” according to previous reporting from the Missourian.
In response to a question about what constitutes a “genuine conflict of interest,” Knoth said it would be, “the same for me as it would be for anyone: Would I, or my immediate family, or employer, directly benefit from the decision being made. Should a situation occur, then I will engage the City’s legal team and act accordingly. There has been no conflict of interest situation to date, and one is unlikely to occur for me as it is anyone with a day job who works on the council.”
AFFORDABLE HOUSING CONCERNS
Vaughn and Mitchell said affordable housing is a big issue for them. Knoth, who said he grew up in a low-income household, told the Boone County Democratic Club that creating more affordable housing would be a priority.
A map of Columbia’s First Ward.
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Mitchell said “competing tensions” in the ward are threatening to push out low-income residents. She pointed to the construction of new student apartments downtown and rising home prices.
The First Ward stretches from just south of the Columbia Mall to College Avenue. It includes downtown Columbia, the MU campus, and neighborhoods just south of Interstate 70.
Mitchell and Vaughn live in the West Ash neighborhood just west of downtown. She said the neighborhood is becoming “partly gentrified” because new people – including her, who moved there three years ago – are causing home prices to rise.
Vaughn said the neighborhood was “pretty run down” when she first moved there in 2007. There were a lot of vacant homes on her block, but she liked the historic architecture.
Now, as more people move into the neighborhood and fix up homes, the community has “blossomed,” Vaughn said. So have home prices. The value of Vaughn’s home doubled since she bought it in 2014.
It’s an issue facing other parts of the First Ward. In a neighborhood of the ward just south of I-70 and east of Stadium Boulevard, the median home listing price jumped from $124,250 in January 2021 to $175,000 in December 2023, according to the website realtor.com.
Mitchell said she is concerned low-income First Ward residents will get priced out of their homes because of new development. Vaughn and Mitchell said they are worried Knoth’s lobbyist job will put him more in line with developers. Because the council handles real estate matters, they say Knoth’s job with the realtors creates a conflict of interest.
On Tuesday, city council is set to consider a framework to regulate short-term rentals (STRs). These are properties which are rented to people for less than 31 days at a time. Right now, STRs are technically illegal because the city hasn’t regulated them.
The new rules would limit short-term rentals to one per owner, cap the number of guests to eight, and require a business license to offer a property for rental and prohibit events, according to previous reporting from the Columbia Missourian. It would also limit the number of days an STR could be rented depending on its zoning location.
Mitchell said she’s concerned STRs deplete the city’s housing stock. Members of Columbia’s Planning and Zoning Commission, said they’ve seen starter homes priced under $200,000 bought up and used as rental properties.
The Columbia Board of Realtors suggested some changes to the proposed ordinance when the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission looked at the issue in December 2023. Those proposals included increasing the limit on rental days and the cap on ownership. The commission decided not to adopt those suggested changes.
Knoth told KOMU 8 that he has “always been supportive of regulating short term rentals and that has not changed, regardless of who my employer is now, or in the future. I will vote accordingly.”
RECALL EFFORT ON THE BALLOT
On Tuesday, the city council will vote to hold the April 2 municipal election. The Knoth recall vote will be on the ballot along with elections for council members in the Second Ward and Sixth Ward, according to Amin.
If First Ward voters recall Knoth, a special election will be held to replace him, Amin said. The council can fill a vacant seat if it’s open for less than a year, according to Section Nine of the city charter.
If Knoth gets recalled, he would be ineligible to to serve in any city office for the remained of his term, Amin said. Knoth’s term is set to end in 2026.
The recall effort isn’t “working for anyone in particular” to fill the seat, Mitchell said. Neighbors have talked about possible candidates, but aren’t backing anyone at this time.
Mitchell said she reached out to former First Ward council member Pat Fowler about running, but Fowler said she’s not interested. Fowler dropped out of the April 2023 election against Knoth, citing her stepmother’s declining health. Fowler’s name still appeared on the ballot.
Knoth received 747 votes in that election and Fowler got 371, according to final election results published by Boone County.
A Columbia City Council member was last removed in 1990 when voters recalled Ward Five Council Member Chester Edwards, according to Amin.
Mitchell said she understands council members need a separate job to pay the bills. Council members receive a stipend of of $6,000 a year, or $500 a month.
“I’d be happy for Nick Knoth to have either one of those jobs,” Mitchell said. “But not both at the same time.”