By Jackee Coe | The Arizona Republic
Leaders of some non-profit organizations in Peoria would be barred from running for local office, making campaign contributions and even endorsing city council candidates under a proposal working its way through city hall.
Such prohibitions, which appear to be the first of their kind in Arizona, would apply to directors, executives and managers of organizations that receive a portion of their funding from the city, said Councilman Ben Toma, who proposed the policy that has been fast-tracked by the city council.
One of Toma’s competitors in the November election heads such an organization, though the proposal would not affect her candidacy.
First Amendment experts and other critics of the plan call it an unconstitutional violation of individual rights and an attack on a competitor, but Toma said it is an effort to avoid conflicts of interest.
