Arvada council sends Sharon Davis ethics hearing to independent third party

The Arvada City Council voted 4–1 on Sept. 15 to send an ethics hearing involving Council Member Sharon Davis to an independent third party rather than decide the matter itself. Davis recused herself from the vote, according to the Sept. 15 council meeting.

The matter concerns an allegation that Davis disclosed confidential information from a City Council executive session. In its Aug. 18 meeting recap, the city said an independent investigator found it was more likely than not that an ethics-code violation occurred and that the council had authorized a formal hearing. That preliminary finding is not a final determination that Davis violated the code.

The stipulation approved in Resolution R26-072 was jointly reached by the city’s special prosecutor and Davis’ attorney, City Attorney Rachel Morris said. Davis’ attorney raised concerns that council members could become witnesses, according to the meeting discussion.

Council Member Ambrose said the third party would review the investigation and make a recommendation to the council. The council would then decide whether to dismiss the complaint or impose a penalty available under the city code, a decision that would require a two-thirds vote, according to the city’s Sept. 15 recap.

A separate ethics complaint involving Davis’ voicemail and text messages seeking support for the Welby Gardens project was dismissed because the city code did not clearly define who qualified as a “party in interest.” That complaint is separate from the executive-session disclosure matter.

The available Sept. 15 records did not identify a hearing officer or hearing date.