Today, Colorado Ethics Watch (Ethics Watch) filed a complaint with the Independent Ethics Commission asking it to penalize Secretary of State Mike Coffman for his continued egregious pattern of misconduct. This is the first complaint filed with the Independent Ethics Commission since it was approved by voters in November 2006.

Ethics Watch’s complaint details how Secretary Coffman violated his duties under state law and state personnel rules twice in 2007. First, Secretary Coffman allowed at least one employee in his office to operate a partisan side business without proper authorization and disclosure – a business that was patently incompatible with the official duties of that employee. Secondly, Secretary Coffman failed to disclose a conflict of interest between he and one of the voting system vendors seeking certification from the secretary of state’s office – the only vendor that Secretary Coffman agreed to certify.

“How can Coloradoans trust Secretary Coffman to manage a fair and accurate election this fall when he has demonstrated a disturbing pattern of disregard for the law?” questioned Chantell Taylor, director of Colorado Ethics Watch.

The Independent Ethics Commission was established in 2006 as this state’s primary recourse for ethics complaints and investigations. It is authorized to conduct investigations, hold public hearings, and render findings on complaints regarding allegations that any public official failed to comply with appropriate standards of conduct under state law.

“The Commission needs to show the public that it will take ethics complaints against Colorado’s top officials seriously. Ethics Watch’s complaint against Secretary Coffman is a great first step,” said Taylor.