Denver Mayor Michael Hancock’s Super Bowl trip, with tickets to the game provided by the Broncos and the city’s general fund paying for his airfare and hotel, does not violate the city’s ethical code, a board has ruled.
The Denver Board of Ethics reviewed Hancock’s plan to attend the game, with his wife and daughter, and found no violations of the city’s ethical policies. The city’s code of ethics allows for an individual to accept up to four free tickets for an event if attendance is reasonably related to the duties of the officer.
Hancock is paying for his wife’s and daughter’s airfare, while he taps the city’s general fund for his own costs.
The board said it realizes there will be “differences of opinion” regarding “the use of public funds for travel expenses for public officials. “However, that is a proper subject for discussion by policymakers and civic debate, and cannot be decided” by the board, which based its decision on the currently established code.
