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PROPOSED ORDINANCE AMENDMENT
AMENDMENT TO ETHICS ORDINANCE
BE IT ORDAINED, by the Cook County Board of Commissioners, that Chapter 2 Administration, Article VII Ethics, Division 2 Code of Ethical Conduct, Section 2-586 of the Cook County Code is hereby amended as follows:
Sec. 2-586. Newsletters, brochures, public service announcements, and promotional materials.]
(a) Election Period Prohibitions
(1) Except as provided by subsection (b), Sixty days prior to a general, primary, or special election and ending the day after such election in which an elected official is a candidate, County funds and or resources may not be used by any elected County official to print, mail, transmit, or pay for the printing, mailing, or transmission of any newsletters or brochures bearing the proper name of the elected County official during the period of time design, print, and/or distribute::
a. Print newsletters or brochures bearing the proper name or image of the elected County official who is a candidate in an election; or
b. Public service announcements or advertisements that are on behalf of a County administered program and contains the proper name, image, or voice of an elected County official who is a candidate in an election that is broadcast or aired on radio or television or printed in a commercial newspaper or commercial magazine.
(1) Sixty days prior to a general primary election and ending the day after such general primary election; and
(2) Sixty days prior to a general election and ending the day after such general election.
(2) (b) Exceptions. The prohibitions in sSubsection (a1) of this section shall not apply to:
a. (1)Responses to unsolicited inquiries from constituents and other interested parties; or
b. (2)Informational brochures that are solely related to and accompany any mailing of a property tax bill, notice of property tax assessment, or notice of voter registration or polling place information, or to a brochure mailed to a constituent in response to that constituent's inquiry concerning the needs of that constituent or questions raised by that constituent.
c. Any information available or posted by the County or an elected County official on any Cook County owned website or County operated social media account or broadcast or aired on the “public educational, government access” channels.
(c) No public service announcement or advertisement that is on behalf of any County administered program and contains the proper name, image, or voice of any elected County official shall be paid with County funds and broadcast or aired on radio or television or printed in a commercial newspaper or commercial magazine at any time on or after the date that the elected County official files nominating papers for any elected office, and ending the day after such general election if the elected County official is a candidate in such primary or general election. This section shall not apply to any information available or posted by the County or any elected County official on any Cook County owned website or County owned social media account or broadcast or aired on the “public educational, government access” channels.
(bd) Permanent Prohibitions. The proper name or image of any elected official may not appear on any promotional materials or items if designed, paid for, produced, and/or distributed with public funds or resources, including, but not limited to:
(1) Bumper stickers;
(2) Commercial billboards;
(3) Lapel pins or buttons;
(4) Magnets;
(5) Sports teams;
(6) Items of clothing or apparel;
(7) Stickers;
(8) Calendars;
(9) Vehicles; or
(10) Equipment.
Effective date: This ordinance shall be in effect immediately upon adoption.
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