A Portland, OR mayoral candidate made an interesting pledge in
September, according to <a href="http://www.pamplinmedia.com/pt/9-news/273725-149550-wheeler-challenges-…; target="_blank">an
article in the Portland <i>Tribune</i></a>:<blockquote>
<br>
I will not permit any individual who was a paid member of my
campaign or my mayoral staff to lobby me or my office on behalf of a
private entity. This prohibition will extend through my full
four-year term in office.</blockquote>
<br>
He asked that the incumbent mayor make the same pledge, but a few
weeks later the incumbent announced that he would not be running for
a second term.<br>
<br>
Unfortunately, pledges are more a campaign tactic than a good way
to prevent conflicts of interest. Laws, and independent ethics and
lobbying programs to interpret, advise, and enforce the laws, are a
better way of doing this. The best pledges are those that either (1)
include a pledge to propose specific ethics or lobbying reforms or
(2) do what cannot be done by law, for constitutional reasons, such
as the so-called People's Pledge regarding independent spending (see
<a href="http://www.cityethics.org/content/peoples-pledge-mayoral-races" target="_blank">my
blog post</a> on this sort of pledge).<br>
<br>
Robert Wechsler<br />
Director of Research-Retired, City Ethics<br />