In a formal opinion, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich concluded cities can't bar their employees from contributing to races for city council and mayor.
He is specifically citing a Phoenix ordinance that prohibits candidates for city offices from accepting contributions from city workers. Brnovich says this rule violates the constitutional rights of said workers.
Brnovich says he has no legal problem with cities keeping their employees from working on a candidate campaign, pointing out there is a similar statute governing state employees. And he says it parallels the Hatch Act which limits certain partisan activities of federal workers.
