DENVER | Colorado’s ethics panel ruled that Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper did not violate the state’s gift ban or improperly use staff time during his attendance at a Democratic Governors Association conference.
The Independent Ethics Commission issued its ruling Monday after considering the case for months. The conservative group Compass Colorado filed the complaint, alleging Hickenlooper violated the state’s gift ban by allowing the governor’s association to pay for his food and lodging at the conference in Aspen last summer.
In dismissing the complaint on a 4-1 vote, commissioners said the use of staff time in preparation for the event was minimal. They also said the value of Hickenlooper’s policy expertise that he shared at the conference and the hours he spent helping organize it exceed what the DGA spent on accommodations.
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“value of Hickenlooper’s policy expertise that he shared at the conference and the hours he spent helping organize it” Well, that’s rather subjective, isn’t it?