§ 161.05. Political activity.

No person in the classified service or listed as an unskilled laborer in the employ of the city shall directly or indirectly solicit or receive, or be in any manner concerned in soliciting or receiving any assessment, subscription or contribution for or against any political party, any candidacy for office or for the nomination therefor, any other issue at any election, or for any other political purpose whatever. No person shall knowingly whether orally, or by letter, solicit, or be in any manner concerned in soliciting any assessment, subscription or contribution for any such purpose from any person holding a position in the classified service or as an unskilled laborer.

No person in the classified service of the city or listed as an unskilled laborer in the employ of the city shall be an officer in any political organization, a candidate for an elective office or the nomination therefor, or take part in partisan politics other than to vote as he pleases and to express freely his political opinion.

Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit a city employee in the classified or unclassified service from circulating nominating petitions for an elective office on their own time when the candidates name for that office appears on the ballot without the name of a political party, or an elective office which is nonpartisan.

This section does not prohibit a city employee in the classified service from being a candidate for or holding the position of a member of a local school board of education, village council outside the city of Columbus, or a board of township trustees as long as:

(a)

The city employee does not solicit, directly or indirectly, campaign funding for their campaign for elective office.

(b)

The city employee does not seek or use the endorsement of a political party.

(c)

The city employee abstains from participation in matters under consideration by the local school board, village council or board of township trustees whenever a conflict of interest appears.

(d)

The city employee performs no work for the local school board, village council or board of township trustees during assigned working hours of the employee's position with the city of Columbus.

(Ord. 998-89.)