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Some may call it a gimmick. Others will view it as political grandstanding. Nonetheless, the ethics pledge recently taken by a small group of legislators is on target and warrants more than passing attention. Indeed, all lawmakers and candidates for the legislature ought to commit to ethics reform.
Those lawmakers who sign the pledge vow "to actively support and work for the passage" of ethics reform that would lead to "a more open, honest, ethical and transparent government."
A bill already in the works would require full disclosure of all gifts and meals, prohibit legislators from using campaign contributions for anything other than legitimate campaign expenditures, and require that unexpended campaign contributions be given to legitimate causes. Frankly, it is incomprehensible that any honest lawmaker would shy away from accepting the proposed standard.
The pledge is being pushed by Utahns for Public Schools, the same group that successfully opposed last year's school voucher measure. They'll be posting a list of those who sign the pledge on their website. You can check it out at www.utahnsforpublicschools.org.
KSL encourages voters to support candidates who are willing to commit to enacting meaningful and comprehensive ethics reform. If it takes a gimmick to get them to act, then so be it.
