JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – State Rep. Ken Wilson recently became one of the first state legislators to take a Candidate Ethics Pledge put forth by the Missouri Alliance for Freedom. Wilson agreed to uphold the five major tenets of the pledge or resign from office if he fails to do so.
“I am proud to represent the people of the 12th district in the honorable and ethical way they expect and deserve. The pledge is simply a formalization of the way I want, from this day forward, to serve in my office, and the model I hope my colleagues will agree to follow as well,” said Wilson, R-Smithville.
The Candidate Ethics Pledge includes:
- No gifts, meals, tickets, travel, late night bar bills, or cab rides home should ever be paid for by a lobbyist;
- All fundraising should stop during session;
- Agreement to not to engage in relationships with interns or staff members, nor create a hostile work environment for any staff member;
- Agreement not to resign early in order to accept a paid gubernatorial appointment, and a wait of two full years before becoming a paid lobbyist.
“We have a chance to improve the culture in the building and hold each other to a higher standard that will restore the public’s trust in government,” said Wilson. “This is a great opportunity that I hope we can build on by passing substantive ethics reform into law during the 2016 regular session.”
