(The following article was published March 19th in the Rocky Mountain News):
District 2 Fremont County Commissioner Larry Lasha was named Tuesday to the remaining seat on a commission that will carry out a statewide ethics amendment approved by voters in 2006.
Lasha, 63, a political independent, was named by the other four members of the panel, who are evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats.
The panel, established under Amendment 41, is charged with hearing complaints about alleged ethical violations by public employees, including elected officials. The panel must first adopt rules to implement the amendment. Lasha says his first meeting with the group will taken place April 4th in Denver.
Amendment 41 has been under continuous fire since it was passed. Opponents charge the measure goes too far. For example, charitable groups worry that a ban on free meals prevents them from inviting lawmakers to events where dinner is served. Others say a ban on gifts to the relatives of public employees prevents their children from accepting some scholarships.
The Colorado Supreme Court in February declined to decide a lawsuit against the amendment, saying the full commission had not yet met or adopted rules. The suit remains on hold.
Former state senator Sally Hopper of Golden, a Republican member of the commission, said, "Everybody is after us because we didn't get going immediately."
Lasha said he understands he's walking into a controversial role. But the retired Colorado Springs firefighter said he's used to being in hot places. "Being a firefighter, I never questioned where I was going when the alarm went off," he said. Lasha said he will bring the perspective of a public employee to the commission. He said the first step will be to catch up on work the four panel members have already done in drafting rules.
Lasha served with the Colorado Springs fire department for 27 years. After retiring, he organized a rural fire department that serves parts of Fremont and El Paso counties. He was city manager of Florence before seeking the Fremont County commissioner seat as an unaffiliated candidate in 2002.