Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Conflict of Interest

Colorado Capitol Clash Erupts Over Nonprofits Receiving Advanced Taxpayer Funds
Complete Colorado, Approved, State

Colorado Capitol Clash Erupts Over Nonprofits Receiving Advanced Taxpayer Funds

By Sherrie Peif | Complete Colorado DENVER – GOP opposition to a bill passed in the final hours of the 2026 Colorado legislative session around tax dollars going to non-profits stirred up a pot of anger and controversy among Democrat legislators tied to organizations that stood to benefit. So much so that one state senator pledged to pursue restriction next session prohibiting sitting lawmakers from profiting on taxpayer’s money. House Bill 26-1274, sponsored by Democrat Representatives Monica Duran from Jefferson County and Mandy Lindsay from Arapahoe County and carried in the Senate by Democrats Katie Wallace of Boulder and Mike Weissman of Adams County, changed the way non-profits can collect a portion of state grant money in the future. But amendments offered in th...
How many lawmakers benefit from taxpayer-funded nonprofits in Colorado?
Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

How many lawmakers benefit from taxpayer-funded nonprofits in Colorado?

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project I saw a CPR article (see the first link below) about how much Colorado legislators are paid recently. It was one of their "Colorado Wonders" series. This is a series where CPR writes articles based on reader questions. If you want more on that series, see the second link below. I read the article on how much Colorado legislators are paid. If that's something you've wondered, give it a look. The answer is "not much", but if you look at the daily rate for what has always been and ought to continue to be a part-time job, it's respectable. Noting that it was completely missing from the CPR piece on legislator pay, I had a little Colorado Wonders of my own. I actually took the time to submit it to CPR last week immedi...
Colorado Democrats Revive Push to Ban State Lawmakers From Holding Multiple Elected Offices
Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Colorado Democrats Revive Push to Ban State Lawmakers From Holding Multiple Elected Offices

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Colorado lawmakers introduce hundreds of bills each year. Bills in Brief cuts through the noise by explaining which proposals matter, what’s at stake, and how decisions at the Capitol could affect everyday life across the state. A bill set for its first hearing later this month would bar Colorado lawmakers from holding more than one elected office at a time, reviving a recurring debate over conflicts of interest at the Capitol. Senate Bill 59 aims to address an issue that has surfaced at least six times in the last few years: lawmakers holding more than one elected office at a time. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Lisa Cutter, D-Littleton, and Rep. Mandy Lindsay, D-Aurora, is slated for a Feb. 24 hearing in the...
Memo Shows Weak Oversight and Lack of Accountability in Cherry Creek Schools
The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Memo Shows Weak Oversight and Lack of Accountability in Cherry Creek Schools

By Nicole C. Brambila | The Denver Gazette To avoid a conflict of interest, the wife of Cherry Creek Schools Superintendent Chris Smith — who resigned this week amid allegations of a toxic work environment — was supposed to report to Deputy Superintendent Jennifer Perry. In the wake of Smith’s resignation Wednesday, Perry was named interim superintendent. According to a Denver7 investigation, insiders said Smith and his wife, Chief Human Resource Officer Brenda Smith, had created a “toxic culture” — leaving employees with no recourse. A one-page memo dated May 9, 2022 from then Board President Kelly Bates outlined the arrangement. “In the event that the ability of either Christopher Smith or Brenda Smith to perform their professional duties, includin...
Sengenberger: Weiser’s CU intervention reveals his true priorities
denvergazette.com, Approved, Commentary, State

Sengenberger: Weiser’s CU intervention reveals his true priorities

By Jimmy Sengenberger | Commentary, Denver Gazette On Sunday, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser picked a fight he shouldn’t have. In a thread on X, Weiser — a Democrat running for governor — defended CU Regent Wanda James by blasting her colleagues for recently censuring and sanctioning her in a bipartisan vote. The board had censured James, who is a pot shop proprietor, after she tried to discredit and defund the university’s award-winning “Tea on THC” awareness campaign. It educates the public on the risks of marijuana use for kids, including during pregnancy. James, a Democrat who boasts of being the nation’s first Black owner of a legal retail marijuana business, had demanded earlier this year that the campaign’s website be “taken down immediately” over “racist” illustr...
CU regents request internal investigation for conflict of interest
Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

CU regents request internal investigation for conflict of interest

By Eric Young | Denver Gazette Members of the University of Colorado’s Board of Regents have requested an internal investigation into one of its fellow members over possible conflicts of interests in efforts to cut funding for a CU program. The investigation, requested by regents Ken Montera and Callie Rennison, comes after fellow regent Wanda James’ objections to a campaign created by the state legislature and funded through the Colorado School of Public Health and CU Anschutz Medical Campus to educate the public on the health risks of highly concentrated marijuana. “We know the people of Colorado expect the Board to provide excellent oversight and leadership to the University of Colorado,” Montera and Rennison said in a joint statement. “We expect that as well and are confident ...

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