DENVER – Today, Colorado Ethics Watch (Ethics Watch) filed campaign finance complaints with the Colorado Secretary of State’s office against Broomfield City Manager George Di Ciero, Assistant City Manager Kevin Standbridge, and incumbent city council candidates Lori Cox, Walter Spader and Linda Reynolds. The complaints stem from a candidate questionnaire that city staff researched and prepared answers to for the incumbents to rely on at a campaign forum.

Documents indicate that Standbridge, with Di Ciero’s approval, instructed city staff to prepare answers to a candidate questionnaire distributed by F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Unlimited (FRIENDS), a nonprofit group providing services to developmentally disabled citizens. The FRIENDS questionnaire was distributed to municipal candidates in preparation for a forum hosted by FRIENDS on October 10, 2007. The day before the forum, Standbridge provided the answers to the incumbent city council members.

The Fair Campaign Practices Act (FCPA) prohibits political subdivisions, like Broomfield, from making any campaign contribution, including paid staff time, which is an in-kind contribution under state law. Therefore, it was unlawful for Di Cero and Strandbridge, in their official capacities, to contribute to the municipal candidate campaigns.

It was also illegal for incumbent candidates Cox, Spader and Reynolds to accept a contribution from the city. Even if the contributions were lawful, none of the candidates reported the contribution in their campaign finance disclosures in violation of the FCPA.