ALEX ZORN/Grand Junction Daily Sentinel — An ethics complaint filed against Delta County Administrator Robbie LeValley was deemed non-frivolous by The Colorado Independent Ethics Commission this week. LeValley will now have 30 days from Feb. 11 to respond.
The complaint, filed by Hotchkiss resident JoAnn Kalenak, president and senior blogger for Delta County Citizen Report, alleges LeValley violated the public trust when she spent $805.49 in taxpayer funds for products from Homestead Meats, a company in which she owns a business interest.
Receipts, county transaction reports and credit card statements presented in the complaint appear to show LeValley made purchases of $232.19 and $573.30 to order products from Homestead Meats.
According to the Homestead Meats website, LeValley Ranch, a cow-calf operation in western Colorado run by a family for four generations, is among the six ranches listed.
LeValley responded by saying Delta County is aware of the complaint against her and said many purchases were made from many other Delta County vendors for the 2019 Delta County Fair.
According to the complaint, LeValley violated Article 29 of the Colorado Constitution, which states any effort to realize personal financial gain through public office other than compensation provided by law is a violation of that trust.
The vote to deem the complaint non-frivolous was unanimous, with Commissioner Yeulin Willett, who represented District 54 in the Colorado House of Representatives from 2015-2019, recusing himself from the vote.
The complaint will now move forward through the Colorado Independent Ethics Commission’s complaint process.
Robbie LeValley Response:
Delta County has been informed that the Colorado Independent Ethics Commission (IEC) has received a complaint regarding Robbie LeValley, Delta County Administrator. That complaint has been determined to be “non-frivolous.” Pursuant to the IEC, a frivolous complaint is one that is without a rational argument of the IEC’s involvement based on the facts or the law. The complaint is part of an on-going process and will now proceed to an investigation. Ms. LeValley has an opportunity to file a response to the complaint.
Delta County understands that the basis of the complaint involves purchase of food and supplies from Homestead Natural Meats, a local vendor, for various events at the 2019 Delta County Fair. Additional purchases were made from many other Delta County vendors; these purchases are not involved in the complaint. Delta County has a long history of supporting local businesses.