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Congressional candidates sign ethical pledge in Ohio's 11th District

For release: July 7, 2000 For more information: Laura Yeomans (330) 343-9588 Catherine Turcer (614) 263-4111 Brad Rourke (207) 236-6658 Betty Pinckney, representing U.S. Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs-Jones (Democrat); candidate Joel Turner (Libertarian); Brad Rourke, director of the national Project on Campaign Conduct; candidate Sonja Glavina (Natural Law); candidate James Sykora (Republican); and Laura Yeomans, research director for Ohio Citizen Action and state co-coordinator of the Ohio Project on Campaign Conduct. PHOTO BY CATHERINE TURCER, OHIO CITIZEN ACTION. CLEVELAND -- All four Congressional candidates in the 11th District have signed an ethical code of conduct governing their campaign behavior in 2000. Natural Law Party candidate Dr. Sonja Glavina, Republican candidate James Sykora, Democratic Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones, and Libertarian candidate Joel Turner signed the code on July 5. "Ohio voters want honest government and clean campaigning that focuses on the issues," said Laura Yeomans, research director for Ohio Citizen Action and state co-coordinator of the Ohio Project on Campaign Conduct. "These candidates are setting an example that other candidates should follow." In the code, candidates agreed in campaigning to focus on issues and the records of themselves and their opponents, to support claims with factual documents, and to avoid using personal attacks, innuendo, or stereotyping each other. "Ethical codes of conduct create ground rules that focus debate on issues not personal attacks," said Brad Rourke, director of the national Project on Campaign Conduct. Each candidate supports the code in their own way: "The voters of the 11th District want and deserve honest, informative campaigns," said Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones. "I always strive to conduct my campaigns according to the highest ethical standards. I urge all candidates for public office to join us in ensuring truthful, fair and clean campaigns." "I support the Project on Campaign Conduct because it keeps opponents focused on substantive differences that can be objectively demonstrated to voters," said Joel Turner, the Libertarian candidate and a businessman. "It develops reasonable guidelines that keep campaigns from degenerating into negative attacks that have little to do with the issues that affect the citizenry." "With all the negativity in campaign advertising, voters really don't know where candidates stand on the issues," said James Sykora, the Republican candidate and a telemarketer. "This kind of code shouldn't be necessary, but in today's world it appears to be necessary." "A campaign should be conducted in a civilized manner," said Sonja Glavina, the Natural Law Party candidate and a dentist. "In my regular life, I don't slander people, why should I do that when I'm running for political office? If you are honest about yourself and other people, that is a long step in the right direction." The 11th District is the second district in Ohio where candidates have jointly signed an ethical code of conduct this year. Congressman Tony Hall and Natural Law candidate Regina Burch have also signed. Contact: Dr. Sonja Glavina (216) 291-5570 (Natural Law) James Sykora (216) 426-1192 (Republican) for Stephanie Tubbs Jones (Democrat), David Wallace (216) 751-9022 Joel Turner (216) 598-9059 (Libertarian)