Denver Post:

A state representative lodged a campaign-finance complaint against Gov. Bill Ritter today, kick-starting a second investigation into campaign funds Ritter has said were spent incorrectly.

The complaint, from Rep. Kent Lambert, R-Colorado Springs, prompts the process for reviewing campaign-finance violations. Without the complaint, it is unclear whether the Secretary of State's Office could have begun a formal inquiry.

"There are some very specific rules you've got to follow," Lambert said of campaign-finance laws. "This seemed to violate at least several of them and needs to be investigated further."

Last week, Ritter, a Democrat, announced that his former campaign manager, Greg Kolomitz, wrongly used inaugural funds to pay off more than $200,000 in campaign debt and also overpaid himself by about $83,000.

Kolomitz has repaid the salary overage, and Ritter took out a loan to repay the misspent funds. Ritter had also turned over information to several officials, including the state attorney general, for investigation. Arapahoe County District Attorney Carol Chambers has been tapped to investigate if criminal charges are warranted.

"If there are other parties who believe that other agencies should also review this, we welcome that," said Evan Dreyer, Ritter's spokesman.