In a unanimous decision, the Colorado Independent Ethics Commission dismissed a complaint filed against former Secretary of State Wayne Williams because it was outside the statute of limitations. Also, the complaint was totally frivolous. In fact, it was so frivolous that the folks who filed the complaint were the ones who asked that it be dismissed. Of course, this was after the complaint was used to smear Williams’ name in his Secretary of State run against the insufferable (and eventual victor) Jena Griswold.
According to the complainants, Williams was inappropriately reimbursed for his continuing education classes, bar association dues, and some clothes he was required to buy for the Denver Rustlers charity event. The complaint was dismissed because it was outside of the one-year statute of limitations.
At the time, the Secretary of State’s office vigorously fought the complaint and noted that these reimbursements had been standard operating procedure for years, making the complaint seem all the more petty.
While Commissioner Bill Leone complimented one of the complainants about his wisdom in withdrawing the complaint (since it was pointless), Leone also smacked the complainant down, accusing him of “misusing the commission as a ‘political vehicle to tarnish someone’s reputation,'” according to Colorado Politics.
Either way, Williams is doing just fine. He was elected to Colorado Springs City Council recently.