Tenet 7
Refrain from all political activities which undermine public confidence in professional administrators. Refrain from participating in the election of the members of the employing legislative body.
Guidelines
Elections of the Governing Body. Members should maintain a reputation for serving equally and impartially all members of the governing body of the local government they serve, regardless of the party. To this end, they should not participate in the election campaign on behalf of or in opposition to candidates for the governing body.
Elections of Elected Executives. Members shall not participate in the election campaign of any candidate for mayor or elected county executive.
Running for Office. Members shall not run for elected office or become involved in political activities related to running for elected office, or accept appointment to an elected office. They shall not seek political endorsements, financial contributions or engage in other campaign activities.
Elections. Members share with their fellow citizens the right and responsibility to vote. However, in order not to impair their effectiveness on behalf of the local governments they serve, they shall not participate in political activities to support the candidacy of individuals running for any city, county, special district, school, state, or federal offices. Specifically, they shall not endorse candidates, make financial contributions, sign or circulate petitions, or participate in fund-raising activities for individuals seeking or holding elected office.
Elections relating to the Form of Government. Members may assist in preparing and presenting materials that explain the form of government to the public prior to a form of government election. If assistance is required by another community, members may respond.
Presentation of Issues. Members may assist their governing body in the presentation of issues involved in referenda such as bond issues, annexations, and other matters that affect the government entity’s operations and/or fiscal capacity.
Personal Advocacy of Issues. Members share with their fellow citizens the right and responsibility to voice their opinion on public issues. Members may advocate for issues of personal interest only when doing so does not conflict with the performance of their official duties.
Case Study
A City Charter Review Committee has formally reported three amendments for a referendum at the next regularly scheduled election. The City Council, subsequent to reviewing and approving the attorney’s ballot language, directed the City Manager to initiate an educational campaign including speaking engagements and mail outs. One Charter amendment would change the term of office for City Councilmembers from two to four years. Another amendment would abolish Councilmember districts, allowing all candidates to run at-large. The third Charter change would require four votes (four-fifths) to terminate the City Manager rather than the current three votes (three-fifths). The City Manager expects there will be opposition from the minority community to abolishing the Councilmember districts. The manager is also concerned that it will appear “self-serving” to represent support for any Charter change that will make it more difficult to terminate him.
