A left-leaning Pennsylvania nonprofit is launching a ballot initiative effort aimed at curbing conflicts of interest for local officials in two counties accustomed to political scandals.
Action Together NEPA says it will begin collecting voter signatures in Pennsylvania’s Lackawanna and Luzerne counties on Tuesday with the goal of securing enough to force a November vote on whether to amend the counties’ charters to expressly ban local officials from insider trading and require elected officials to disclose more details about their personal finances. It also aims to compel the counties’ governments to produce an annual ethics report to “encourage transparency” for elected county officials.
The effort does not seek to outrightly ban stock trading by local officials, with signature drive organizers concluding such a prohibition would require state law changes.