(Molly Bruns, Headline USA) Faith Winter, a Democrat state senator from Westminister, Colorado, drove to an April legislative meeting while intoxicated, then parked in a fire lane before going inside and conducting the meeting drunkenly.
According to Colorado Public Radio, a bipartisan committee opened an ethics complaint against her for her actions. Officials used video footage of the meeting, as well as body camera footage from concerned police officers, as evidence in the complaint.
The day following the meeting, she announced she would seek help and entered a rehab facility.
On Thursday, a state Senate ethics committee voted to move forward with a complaint against Winter for her drunken appearance.
“I just want to say that this is hard. This sucks,” said state Sen. Julie Gonzales, D-Denver, the chair of the ethics committee.
“This entire situation has just been really challenging, because when she’s at her best, Sen. Winter is phenomenal in upholding trust and integrity,” Gonzalez added.
The ethics complaint alleged that Winter neglected to “uphold her office with integrity.”
The rules of legislative conduct stipulate that an elected officer must “perform his or her legislative duties at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence.”
According to the complaint, Winter refused to answer direct questions and came across as argumentative and difficult.
Thursday’s vote simply confirmed the continuation of the investigation into the matter, and the committee did not announce any conclusive disciplinary measures.
If the committee comes to the conclusion that Winter violated ethics rules, she could face the stripping of her committee assignments or receive an official censure.
Nearly 400 people attended the initial meeting to discuss a mental health facility moving into a local neighborhood. Some locals expressed concern that the facility would likely end up housing sex offenders as a result of a law sponsored by Winter.
Winter started her public tenure in 2014. She is currently in her second term as state Senator.
