The constitutionally created state commission that investigates allegations of ethical misconduct by public officials should align proposed new procedural and records rules more closely with Colorado’s open-government laws.

That’s what the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition, Colorado Common Cause and the commission’s former executive director say in critical written comments submitted to the Independent Ethics Commission at the end of December.

While the ethics commission “is an atypical public body, created by the Colorado Constitution, we maintain that there is no specific functional reason why the IEC should be treated differently from any other state or local ‘agency’ or ‘instrumentality’ when it comes to public accountability and transparency,” wrote CFOIC President Steve Zansberg in a Dec. 28 letter.