JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) - A man who won a Joplin City Council seat in April has resigned after city officials contended he couldn’t serve because of a past felony conviction.
The Joplin Globe reports Joshua Bard resigned from the council Thursday. The drug conviction for manufacturing a controlled substance in 2005 came to light after Bard was elected.
City officials argued in Jasper County court that the past felony drug conviction meant state law barred Bard from serving. Bard argued another section of state law says a person with a felony conviction could hold office after completing his or her sentence or probation.
Bard told the Globe Thursday he has already started the process to get the conviction expunged from his record and he plans to run for the council again in 2020.
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Information from: The Joplin (Mo.) Globe, http://www.joplinglobe.com
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