The Scott County sheriff says although an Iowa Senate committee has rejected his ethics complaint against the state’s new lieutenant governor, he intends to pursue the matter.
On Dec. 16, Scott County Sheriff Tim Lane filed a sworn ethics complaint against Chris Cournoyer, a former Iowa state senator from LeClaire, with the Iowa Senate Ethics Committee. The complaint accuses Cournoyer of harassment of a citizen, disclosure of confidential information, improper use of confidential information to further her own interests or those of another person, and improperly or illegally obtaining confidential information.
Senate Ethics Committee Chair Tom Shipley told the Quad-City Times recently that the committee had rejected Lane’s complaint because it was drafted the same day Cournoyer assumed the post of lieutenant governor , leaving nothing for the committee to investigate.
“I’m not going to drop this, I am not going to let this go,” Lane said Tuesday.
Aside from the specific issues he has with Cournoyer’s conduct, Lane said, he’s concerned that a sheriff’s ability to discipline employees could be put at risk if statehouse politicians align themselves with those workers and then pursue legislation of a retaliatory nature.