Tracey Thayer Bernett (born 1955) is an American politician who served as a member of the

Colorado House of Representatives The Colorado House of Representatives is the lower house of the Colorado General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Colorado. The House is composed of 65 members from an equal number of constituent districts, with each distri ...

from the 12th district. Elected in November 2020, she assumed office on January 13, 2021. On January 9, 2023 she resigned due to rising legal issues related to her declared place of residence. She later pled guilty to influencing a public servant and perjury.

Education

Bernett earned a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

and a

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular ...

from

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate school, graduate business school of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university. Located in Allston, Massachusetts, HBS owns Harvard Business Publishing, which p ...

Career

From 1993 to 2008, Bernett operated her own business in the computer storage industry. She also worked as a civil engineer and served as a policy analyst for

Faith Winter Faith Winter (born May 7, 1980) is a Democratic Party legislator in the U.S. State of Colorado. She represents District 25 in the Colorado State Senate. Her district covers portions of Adams County, the City and County of Broomfield and We ...

and Mike Foote. In the November 2020 election for a seat in the

, Bernett defeated Republican nominee Eric Davila. She assumed office on January 13, 2021.

2022 fraud charges

On November 4, 2022, Boulder County District Attorney (DA) Michael Dougherty filed three felony and two misdemeanor fraud charges against Bernett claiming she lied about residing in an apartment she rented for residency purposes. Following 2020 redistricting, Bernett's

Longmont Longmont is a home rule municipality located in Boulder and Weld counties, Colorado, United States. Its population was 98,885 . Longmont is located northeast of the county seat of Boulder. It is named after Longs Peak, a prominent mountain th ...

residence moved from house district 12 to district 19. The DA says Bernett then rented an apartment in

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

which remained in district 12. The charges allege that she transferred her residence and voter registration to the apartment and filed false sworn statements with the office of the Secretary of State affirming that she resided in the apartment, even though she never really lived there. The district attorney is also charging her with misrepresenting her residence by voting in a primary election in a district she didn't live in. Bennett resigned from the Colorado General Assembly on the eve of the beginning of the 2023 legislation session. On February 10, 2023, as part of a plea deal, Bernett pleaded guilty to a class-four felony, attempt to influence a public servant and a class-one misdemeanor, perjury. Three other charges — two felonies and one misdemeanor — were dismissed as part of the deal. Bernett received a two-year deferred judgement and sentence for the felony, which includes 150 hours of community service. The court will not enter the felony charge if she successfully completes the deferred judgment and sentence, but the misdemeanor will remain on her record.

Personal life

Bernett and her husband, Frank Bernett, have two children and live in

Longmont, Colorado Longmont is a home rule municipality located in Boulder and Weld counties, Colorado, United States. Its population was 98,885 . Longmont is located northeast of the county seat of Boulder. It is named after Longs Peak, a prominent mountain th ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bernett, Tracey Living people 1955 births Cornell University alumni Harvard Business School alumni People from Longmont, Colorado Women state legislators in Colorado Democratic Party members of the Colorado House of Representatives 21st-century American women politicians Colorado politicians convicted of crimes 21st-century members of the Colorado General Assembly