Ethics commission swiftly dismisses complaint into Cherlynn Stevenson condo purchase
Less than a month after it was filed, the Legislative Ethics Commission dismissed a complaint against Rep. Cherlynn Stevenson, D-Lexington, over her purchase of a Frankfort condominium.
The commission voted unanimously that there was “no reason to believe” that Stevenson “has committed or is about to commit a violation” of the state ethics code.
The lawmaker, who is currently the House Democratic caucus chair and has plans to run for Democratic floor leader if reelected next month, had received prior approval for the purchase from the commission before the complaint was filed by Robert Barney, a Republican activist from Jessamine County, in mid-September.
Barney’s complaint centered around the fact that Stevenson co-purchased a condo near the state capitol building with a lobbyist – Sarah Bowling, a former House Democratic staffer who now lobbies with Cornerstone Government Affairs. The pair bought the condo unit from a company owned by Rachel Roberts, the outgoing House Democratic whip.
The complaint was filed in mid-September by Robert Barney. Barney has not responded to requests for comment on the matter via social media.
Stevenson called the filing of the complaint an example of “election-year politics.”
“This was just election-year politics at its worst. I am certainly pleased to see the ethics commission take this step and re-affirm the staff opinion I received before going forward with this purchase,” Stevenson said.
Stevenson has risen in the ranks of the state Democratic party since taking office in 2019. She’s won three elections in her district — largely comprised of suburban Fayette County — by three percentage points or fewer. Earlier this year, she was the only elected Democrat who spoke on stage at Fancy Farm, the state’s premier political speaking event.
The lawmaker is facing a general election opponent in Republican Vanessa Grossl.
Having only defeated a Republican opponent in 2022 by 37 votes, her re-election bid will be one of the closest-watched in the statehouse. According to elections website CNAlysis, Stevenson’s 88th House District went for former president Donald Trump by about five percentage points in 2020.