Rick Palacio, the previous chair of the Colorado Democratic Birthday party, violated the state’s ethics regulation when he turned into a specialist for Gov. Jared Polis in past due 2020 as a result of he had too just lately served because the governor’s leader of personnel, the state’s Unbiased Ethics Fee dominated.
The fee didn’t levy any monetary consequences in opposition to Palacio, who led Colorado Democrats from 2011 to 2017. This is as a result of commissioners made up our minds he had no longer “violated the general public consider,” in step with a document issued through the fee remaining week.
A criticism used to be filed in opposition to Palacio in 2021 through Shield Colorado, a conservative staff, alleging he’d violated ethics laws the yr prior to when he used to be employed as a specialist for Polis’ place of work in an instant after serving because the governor’s intervening time leader of personnel.
Palacio served as intervening time leader in past due 2020, whilst the governor’s everlasting leader of personnel used to be on maternity depart. After then-chief Lisa Kaufmann returned to paintings in November 2020, Palacio remained on personnel for the remainder of the month.
He used to be then given a freelance as a specialist starting Dec. 1, 2020, to proceed running on pandemic-related problems.
Colorado’s ethics regulation calls for just lately separated state workers to attend six months prior to they are able to be shrunk through a state company to paintings on anything else that they had prior to now been at once concerned with, as Palacio used to be with pandemic efforts.
Nonetheless, the fee discovered that Palacio didn’t wish to face any consequences as a result of he had no longer violated the general public consider. Commissioners discovered that he didn’t violate a state regulation barring state workers from the usage of professional acts to complement themselves.
Consistent with the document, Shield Colorado agreed that “Mr. Palacio’s consulting contract didn’t create a struggle of passion or a possible for unfair merit in Mr. Palacio’s prefer.”
In an emailed observation Friday, Palacio mentioned the state used to be “faced with a once-in-a-century pandemic” all the way through his paintings with Polis’ place of work.
When “my state wanted lend a hand, I used to be venerated to step up and serve,” he wrote. “In moments of disaster, I’ve all the time believed it’s our accountability to give a contribution then again we will, and I might hope that any one else would do the similar if referred to as upon through their governor or president.”
In a observation, Polis spokesman Eric Maruyama mentioned the governor’s place of work used to be “deeply thankful for (Palacio’s) outstanding contributions” and mentioned the place of work used to be happy that the ethics fee discovered that “Palacio’s movements by no means compromised the general public consider or brought about hurt to the state.”
Keep up-to-date with Colorado Politics through signing up for our weekly e-newsletter, The Spot.