Earlier this month, Democratic state Sen. Sonya Jaquez Lewis finally resigned, putting to rest the saga surrounding her unbecoming conduct as an elected representative.

It was both the inevitable end to an unraveling tenure and a refreshing reminder that ethical standards can still be upheld in our politics.

The allegations about Jaquez Lewis’ behavior first surfaced last year as she was running for reelection in Senate District 17, which encompasses parts of Boulder, Broomfield and Weld counties — a race she ultimately won.

In January 2024, Jaquez Lewis was quietly removed as chair of the chamber’s Local Government and Housing Committee after repeated complaints were made about how she treated her staff. In April, it was revealed that Jaquez Lewis was also removed as a sponsor of House Bill 24-1008, a bill aimed at preventing wage theft. The reason for her removal? An allegation of wage theft from her own staff.

In addition, Jaquez Lewis was also accused of creating a toxic work environment for her aides by randomly stripping them of job titles and forcing them to do yard work and chores at her house.

These complaints led to Jaquez Lewis losing state funding for aides — rightfully so — and to an ethics committee probe that was days away from deciding whether or not to open an investigation before her resignation.

The alleged mistreatment of her staff and the hypocrisy of her conduct should have put an end to her political career. But what ultimately appears to have sealed her fate was an apparently forged letter of support from a former staffer.

Jaquez Lewis submitted several letters of support from former aides as part of her response to the allegations of mistreatment. One letter was purportedly written by Anna McLean. However, according to the Denver Post, McLean contacted the ethics committee after hearing her name mentioned to assert that she was in fact not the letter’s author.

To say that Jaquez Lewis’ actions were unfitting of an elected official would be an understatement. Those in office are meant to serve as examples of integrity and good conduct, not as reminders of how not to behave. Still, in a strange way, the fact that enough pressure was put on the senator by her fellow Democrats, as the party controlling the chamber, to force her resignation was refreshing.

In a time when misconduct has been decoupled from political consequences, it is heartening to see that in Colorado, decency comes before party allegiance. Jaquez Lewis ultimately resigned her seat, but it is easy to imagine a world where she didn’t if those in her party weren’t willing to take the allegations against her seriously and show that they were willing to hold her accountable for her actions.

This truth feels especially urgent as we watch the horrifying drama surrounding New York Mayor Eric Adams and what appears to be a blatant effort by President Donald Trump to see that charges against him are dropped in exchange for political allegiance.

Since the charges against him were filed last year, Adams has been deeply unpopular to his electorate. But he has nonetheless defiantly clung to power — and he is even running for reelection. The echoes to Trump couldn’t be more clear.

The message these leaders appear intent on sending is that their actions are above reproach. That their office confers special status upon them. That the rules do not apply equally to everyone.

At this point, it can feel hard to argue with them. Our president, after all, is a convicted felon who was found civilly liable for sexual abuse and who appeared to incite an attempted insurrection in order to cling to power. After all of that — and so much more — he won the popular vote in November.

Trump and Adams, though, did not win here. Others who have exemplified bad behavior — and even proudly flaunted their arrest records — did. But Colorado Democrats showing the willingness to hold Jaquez Lewis accountable for her actions is a reassuring sign that at our state Capitol, ethical behavior still comes before politics.

It has been said before, but it must be said again: We must ask more from our elected officials than we ask for our children on the playground. Those we choose to lead us are a reflection of our values. And how they act is a reflection of our principles.

Colorado leaders and voters should continue to put our morals above our politics. When an elected official breaks the rules — or the law — we must put integrity before party. This is a truth we must constantly reassert — especially throughout the next four years.

— Gary Garrison for the Editorial Board