Ted Wheeler Challenges Charlie Hales to Ban Lobbying by Campaign Consultants

Oregon Treasurer Ted Wheeler and Portland Mayor Charlie Hales will face off in May 2016.

Oregon Treasurer Ted Wheeler, who's running for Portland mayor, today promised he would ban campaign consultants and staffers from lobbying him once in office and challenged incumbent Mayor Charlie Hales to do the same.


Wheeler's pledge comes on the heels of reporting by WW that shows Hales let his political consultant Mark Wiener lobby his office on behalf of Uber, the ride-sharing giant that would like to operate long-term in Portland.

Wiener has defended the lobbying, saying he wasn't paid by Hales and Uber at the same time, although emails from the city show Wiener bounced between working for the mayor and working for Uber. (Hales, for his part, claims Wiener never lobbied him; city lobbying reports show Wiener lobbied Hales' top staff.)

In his pledge, Wheeler said he would not allow any paid consultant or staff member of his campaign to take money to lobby Wheeler on behalf of a private interest for four years, the term of office for Portland mayor. The same rule would apply to mayoral staffers, if Wheeler is elected, he says.

The emphasis on "private" interests is important; Jake Weigler, a spokesman for Wheeler, says the candidate wants to leave open the possibility that a former campaign consultant or employee could move on to work for another government agency, nonprofit or community interest that lobbies City Hall.

We'll update this post when we have comment from Hales.

WWeek 2015

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