This is Colorado Ethics Watch's second annual "Ethics Roundup," a report that highlights both the ethical transgressions and – new this year – the good deeds of state and local public officials and agencies. Now more than ever, as the nation struggles to recover from a crippling recession and the ethical transgressions of corporate America are bringing down entire industries, there is no room for compromise in the area of government ethics. Citizens expect and deserve government representation that puts the public interest above all else and that operates with transparency and integrity. Through public scrutiny and accountability, Ethics Watch works to advance these goals.

This year's report chronicles not only the ethical transgressions, but also the good deeds of state and local public officials. Specifically, the report highlights three categories of public officials: the "Good," the "Bad," and the "Ugly." In our "Good" section, we give accolades to those officials who have taken their own initiative to raise the bar for ethics by implementing new, stricter measures and cracking down on corruption. In contrast, our "Bad" section highlights the lamentable conduct of officials who have abused the public trust, grossly mishandled taxpayer resources, unapologetically shirked disclosure requirements or otherwise breached ethical standards of conduct. Finally, the "Ugly" section features conduct that demonstrated a lapse of ethical judgment by public officials who violated the trust of the citizens they serve.

Ethics Roundup 2009 is by no means exhaustive. Colorado Ethics Watch is mindful that countless other public officials may have committed similar and perhaps more egregious or virtuous acts. In addition, Ethics Roundup 2009 only names public officials who are currently in office; therefore, officials whose conduct has incited ethics scrutiny in the past are not included in this report.

The purpose of this report is not just to bring attention to the conduct of those named, but also to increase public awareness about the subject of government ethics generally. It is our hope that greater awareness will encourage "The Good" to forge ahead, "The Bad" to change course, and "The Ugly" to shape up.

Ethics Roundup 2009:
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Ethics Roundup 2008 (Last Year's Report):
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View the exhibits