The post by Adam below brought back some memories/nightmares from the desert….
In 1996 I was involved in a campaign for the State Senate against someone that was serving as the City Manager of Victorville. One of the issues that came up during that campaign was the International City Managers Association (ICMA) Code of Ethics.
It turns out that our opponent in the race actually dropped out of his professional association in order to seek elective office and not be in conflict with his professional code of ethics.
You can read the entire code here but the relevant section that came into question and the explanation from the ICMA is below —
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 party. To this end, they should not engage in active participation in the election campaign on behalf of or in opposition to candidates for the governing body.
Elections of Elected Executives. Members should not engage in the election campaign of any candidate for mayor or elected county executive.
Other Elections. Members share with their fellow citizens the right and responsibility to exercise their franchise and voice their opinion on public issues. However, in order not to impair their effectiveness on behalf of the local government they serve, they should not participate in election campaigns for representatives from their areas to local government, school, state, and federal offices.
Elections on the Council-Manager Plan. Members may assist in preparing and presenting materials that explain the council- manager form of government to the public prior to an election on the use of the plan. If assistance is required by another community, members may respond. All activities regarding ballot issues should be conducted within local regulations and in a professional manner.
Presentation of Issues. Members may assist the governing body in presenting issues involved in referenda such as bond issues, annexations, and similar matters.
In the last few months as I’ve been reading endorsement lists for legislative candidates it has struck me as interesting that some of them proudly claim the political endorsements of sitting city managers.
Here are some examples of endorsement lists that include city managers. There are more but I have not been able to find them this afternoon.
Bob Smith for Assembly lists city managers from Needles, Twenty Nine Palms, and Barstow. This has to be a record with three.
Manuel Perez used to list the City Manager of Coachella on his website until one of his opponents in the Democrat primary that serves on the Coachella City Council found out about it. Shortly after I noticed that on the website the City Manager of Coachella was the former City Manager of Coachella.
Some people will clearly scream that serving as a City Manager should not prevent a person from expressing themselves politically. In fact, the only people that have a true legal prohibition on political activity are federal government employees.
It is my opinion that although it is not illegal, it is preferable for professional staff to refrain from involvement in political campaigns. I don’t think this is a problem for the candidates. They are out there getting support in their communities. It is really a problem for the city managers.