Seminole County Supervisor of Elections unites chairs of Republican and Democratic parties for ethical campaign guidelines in Seminole County

SEMINOLE COUNTY, FL – June 2007: Seminole County Supervisor of Elections Michael Ertel and the chairs of the county’s Republican and Democratic parties have come together in an attempt to keep campaigns clean in Seminole County.

Ertel, Republican Party Chairman Jim Stelling and Democratic Party Chair Jeremiah Jaspon worked together to craft a voluntary Statement of Ethical Campaign Practices to be made available to candidates as part of the regular information provided to them by the elections office. The voluntary form provided by the Ertel’s office (attached) allows candidates to agree to run clean campaigns based on qualifications and honest comparisons of records and positions. Candidates may choose to sign the pledge, which they may have kept on-file at the elections office with their candidate file, if they choose.

Supervisor of Elections Ertel sees the pledge as a two-fold opportunity, “it is an encouraging sign that we have brought together the chairs of the two biggest parties in the county to help craft this document. Voters in Seminole County can be assured the political parties will encourage clean campaigns, and we are proud to do our part in keeping the elections process focused on the issues.”

Democratic Party Chair Jeremiah Jaspon says of the clean campaign pledge, “The Democratic Party of Seminole County wholeheartedly supports any efforts to encourage clean races on the local level. Nearly every day, we hear about another one of our nation's political officials behaving in an unethical and even unlawful manner. Those who aspire to serve the public should, without exception, be held to a high ethical standard. Our candidates will gladly sign the ethics pledge."
Republican Party Chair Jim Stelling adds, “I will encourage Republican candidates to sign the pledge. Hopefully this pledge will help put an end to ugly campaigns that focus on the negative, which we have seen throughout the country. In its place, perhaps we will see campaigns which are refreshingly positive. I believe each candidate should win or lose their race based on experience, qualifications and vision. Our elected leaders, and those who seek public office, should be held to the highest ethical standards.”

For more information on the pledge, please contact Michael Ertel at 407.708.7712.Media contacts Michael Ertel, Seminole County Supervisor of Elections at 407.708.7712 / 407.687.3654 or ertel@VoteSeminole.org Jeremiah Jaspon, Chair, Seminole County Democratic Party, 407.697.8276 or chair@SeminoleDemocrats.com
Jim Stelling, Chair, Seminole County Republican Party, 407.383.8746 or jstelling@cfl.rr.com