A Logan County commissioner will get the guidance he requested from a Colorado ethics panel about doing business with the government he leads.
Commissioner Jim Edwards sought an advisory opinion from the Colorado Independent Ethics Commission after The Denver Post reported that Edwards’ electronics company submitted the only bid for a courthouse surveillance system and had claimed a growing share of county electronics and office-supply purchases.
At a commission meeting Monday, Edwards described himself as “a hands-on type person” who likes to solve problems and often provides free help to county employees with computer problems.
“I don’t feel I’ve done anything wrong,” Edwards said. “I just want to know what can I do. I’m trying to help.”
Two Sterling residents who attended the meeting disagreed, saying Edwards used his elected office to benefit his store, New Age Electronics.
“Needless to say, the competitors are not happy with that,” said Jim Leh, a retired district court judge, but they were reluctant “to go public because they feared economic retaliation.”
The ethics commissioners decided not to judge Edwards’ past actions because no official complaint has been filed but to offer an advisory opinion on avoiding future conflicts of interest.
In rural counties, “it is not unlikely that everyone in town is doing business with the government at some point,” Commissioner Matt Smith said.
The ethics commission also heard the case of former Jefferson County Commissioner Kevin McCasky, who voted in December 2010 for a bigger county contribution to the Jefferson Economic Council while he was applying there for the job of its executive director.
Both sides stipulated the facts. McCasky had submitted his resume to the JEC on Nov. 2, 2010. He and the other two commissioners voted unanimously Dec. 7 to increase the 2011 payment to the JEC by $20,000 to $400,000. The budget vote also involved 30 other organizations. The JEC was the only one to receive an increase. The JEC interviewed McCasky on Dec. 15. He got the job Jan. 11.
The nonprofit, nonpartisan Colorado Ethics Watch, represented by its director, Luis Toro, filed the complaint against McCasky over his failure to disclose for the record the conflict of interest and to recuse himself from the vote on JEC money.
McCasky’s attorney, Cuneyt Akay, said it was common knowledge among county commissioners that McCasky had applied at the JEC. He also argued that simply applying for a job doesn’t constitute “negotiations for prospective employment,” and therefore, McCasky didn’t have a substantial financial interest in the vote that would make his participation a violation.
“There is no hint of a quid pro quo here,” Akay told the ethics panel. “I’m not saying it’s best practice, but it certainly doesn’t rise to the level of violating the law.”
The panel will continue McCasky’s hearing March 19 to allow Akay time to provide it with additional information.
David Olinger: 303-954-1498 or dolinger@denverpost.com
