Colorado Senate forms ethics committee to investigate complaint that senator mistreated aides

The Colorado Senate formed an ethics committee Tuesday to investigate claims that a senator mistreated staff members, a move that could ultimately lead to a reprimand or removal from office.

Sen. Sonya Jaquez Lewis, a Longmont Democrat, has faced a litany of complaints over her alleged treatment of staff, including that she tried to withhold pay from one employee and ordered aides to do chores around her house. Jaquez Lewis, who was reelected in November, has already been stripped of her committee assignments over the allegations.

The ethics committee’s creation formalizes the investigation into her behavior. It was formed after Senate leadership found that “we cannot dismiss the complaint on the   grounds that it is not meritorious or does not substantiate an ethical violation,” according to the letter forming it.

The letter was signed by President James Coleman and Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez, both Democrats, and Minority Leader Paul Lundeen, a Republican.

The complaint was filed by the Political Workers Guild on behalf of five individuals. The complaint itself is not public until the committee convenes. Jaquez Lewis has 10 days to respond to the complaint.

In a statement, Jaquez Lewis called the allegations “blatantly untrue” and said that human resources, not political staff, should handle them. She said her name “has been dragged through the mud for political gain” and tied it to collective-bargaining efforts.

She nonetheless defended collective-bargaining rights and said she would continue to work toward “improving the legislative workplace for all employees.” She called claims that she committed wage theft particularly outrageous. Instead, Jaquez Lewis attributed it to a paperwork error while she was traveling that was then “leaked to media for political gain.”

She also denied the allegation that she used a staffer to do personal work on her house. She said she hired some campaign staff to help set up a campaign event and paid them for their time.

“These kind of complaints set the stage for every Senator or (representative) who lets an Aide go or for an Aide who did not get the job they wanted, to possibly pressure or extort Elected officials,” Jaquez Lewis said in the statement.