Carnahan dissolves LLC in his name

Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-Mo.) has filed paperwork with the Missouri secretary of state to dissolve an inactive LLC registered in his name.

Several days ago, constituents filed a complaint with the House Office of Congressional Ethics questioning why Carnahan had failed to disclose Chris-Craft Commander, LLC on required congressional financial disclosure forms.

{mosads}In December 2002, when the LLC was first formed, Carnahan listed the purpose of the company on his articles of incorporation filed with the Missouri secretary of state as “to own and operate a recreational boat and any other lawful purpose.”

A Carnahan spokeswoman said he had originally planned to use the LLC to purchase a 42-foot Chris-Craft cabin cruiser along with his wife and St. Louis Alderman President Lewis Reed and his wife, but decided to scrap that plan and privately finance the purchase with the Reeds. The LLC was never used, but in an oversight, Carnahan failed to file the necessary paperwork to close it, according to his spokeswoman.

The articles of termination of the LLC, which Carnahan signed, list the reason for dissolving the company as “inactive and never used.” Carnahan’s critics, however, have questioned why the company was listed on his 2004 disclosure forms but omitted on the same forms from 2005 to 2008.

Carnahan’s spokeswoman said the Congressman sought ethics committee advice on how to amend the forms to reflect the LLC’s existence and that the most recent financial disclosure form, which had to be filed by May 17, will reflect that it existed in an inactive state but was terminated this month.

His critics and political opponents also argue that Carnahan docked the yacht across the river in Illinois to avoid paying Missouri property taxes. The local newspaper, the St. Louis Beacon, has noted that the Alton Marina, where the boat is docked, is one of, if not the closest, marinas suitable to park a boat the size of Carnahan’s, and the 42-foot powerboat dubbed “Attractive Nuisance” hasn’t been operable for more than a year.