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At least one mayoral candidate says she disagrees with Mayor Charlie Hales, who this week joined Commissioner Dan Saltzman in blasting a proposal to strengthen Portland's revolving-door ban.
That proposal from Auditor Mary Hull Caballero would extend the one-year lobbying ban on former elected officials, bureau directors and at-will employees of elected officials to two years. It would also broaden the ban to make it apply to any subject area; right now it applies only to topics the ex-employee addressed "personally and substantially" while at City Hall.
And candidate Sarah Iannarone (who works for Hales' wife, Nancy Hales, at Portland State University) says it's a good idea.
"Our policies in City Hall send a message to Portlanders about our values and priorities," Iannarone writes in an email to WW. "Who is our government working for and who benefits from that work? While we need to ensure we are hiring qualified candidates for public offices, revolving door provisions help ensure that a job in City Hall doesn't equate to a winning ticket in the corporate lottery. I disagree with Mayor Hales: one year is too short a time period to accomplish the goals of a lobbying ban; two years seems to be fair when balancing government transparency with effectiveness."
Ted Wheeler, through a campaign spokesman, declined to offer an opinion on the auditor's proposal.
Jules Bailey, also through his campaign, said he was "still gathering information on whether extending the ban from one year to two makes sense."
Willamette Week