THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 7, 1996 TAG: 9604060394
SECTION: COMMENTARY PAGE: J1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MIKE KNEPLER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines
Jeff Gottesfeld keeps a reminder that people can change politics.
It's a picture of the first 60 candidates who signed a clean-campaign pledge in last year's Nashville Metro Council elections.
The group photo ``was taken at our `Candidate Accountability Night,' '' said Gottesfeld, a member of Tying Nashville Together. That's a coalition of 40 churches and synagogues that sponsored the campaign against negative advertising.
``We needed to do something that was going to reverse the cynicism of the electorate.''
Clean-campaign pledge programs, like Nashville's, are one new way community groups around the country try to make candidates play straight with voters.
Tying Nashville Together also organized small meetings in homes of hundreds of residents to find out what citizens considered important. The conversations produced a 10-point platform that candidates were asked to sign in addition to the pledge against negative ads.
As a result, most candidates talked about issues, and there was only one violation of negative advertising, coalition leaders say. Some other efforts:
Californians in Sonoma and Sacramento counties hold ``candidate accountability'' nights. Instead of inviting candidates to explain platforms, candidates must listen to citizens in small groups and then report what they've heard and how they'll respond.
Citizens grade candidates on listening skills and answers, said Larry Ferlazzo of the Sacramento County Organizing Network.
Minnesota will see two grass-roots efforts this year, focusing on campaigns for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.
The Minnesota Compact Coalition is a partnership among candidates, the news media and citizens. Candidates will be asked to commit to two public debates with audience participation. They'll also be asked to talk more about issues, philosophies and qualifications instead of attacking each other. The news media will be asked to emphasize citizen issues over ``horse-race'' style coverage. At least 10,000 voters will be asked to attend ``conversation circles'' to foster constructive discussions about public concerns.
Another Minnesota coalition devised a ``Campaign Advertising Code.'' It plans a statewide petition asking citizens to pledge not to vote for, or contribute money to, candidates who refuse to sign the advertising code. The code contains six pledges for candidates. They include promising not to use photos of opponents; to ask TV and radio stations to reject any independently sponsored ads; and to produce only TV ads that feature the candidates' voices and likenesses at least half the time. The provisions aim to make candidates more accountable for campaign material.
League of Women Voters chapters in New York, North Carolina and Oregon have experimented with ``CampaignWatch'' projects that ask candidates to sign a ``Code of Fair Campaign Practices.''
Efforts include telephone hotlines for citizens to make complaints about political advertisements, publicity posters for the projects, and prestigious bipartisan advisory committees.
At least 32 Congressman - Republicans and Democrats - have signed a pledge this year promising to respect fellow members and ``promote civility, comity, and adherence to House rules over party loyalty.''
KEYWORDS: COMMUNITY CONVERSATION ELECTIONS by CNB