Denver City Councilwoman-elect Stacie Gilmore, who will represent District 11. Campaign handout)
Denver City Councilwoman-elect Stacie Gilmore plans to appear before the Board of Ethics next week to discuss her potential conflicts of interest.
During the campaign, the District 11 candidate in far-northeast Denver pledged to seek the board’s advice , Scott Gilmore, who as Denver’s deputy director of parks and recreation is a mayoral appointee.
She also, for 19 years, has led a Montbello nonprofit called Environmental Learning for Kids that has received more than $500,000 in city contracts, mostly for youth education and employment programs.
Critics have questioned Stacie Gilmore’s ability to be an independent council member, suggesting she should recuse herself from a range of votes. She has said she will toe the ethical line carefully.
But it’s unclear how large of a scope the ethics board will recommend. It will meet at 8 a.m. Wednesday. Both Gilmores may attend to answer members’ questions, and it’s expected that the board will issue a formal advisory opinion publicly within a week.
“At this point, I think it’s just general guidance on how to proceed,” Gilmore said Friday. The board also could outline parameters for when Gilmore should abstain from voting or participate in council debates. “There could be lots of different speculation, but just general guidance would be helpful,” she said, adding that she also plans to lean on the assistant city attorney who advises the council, David Broadwell, for guidance.
Gilmore and other council members, including six others who were elected this spring, will be sworn in July 20, as Mayor Michael Hancock begins his second term.
In the June 2 run-off, Gilmore .
As for her position leading the nonprofit, Gilmore says her last day as executive director will be July 17. She says she has no plans to serve on its board or maintain any formal relationship with the group so that she can devote her time to serving on the council, which is considered a full-time job.
