Bradley, Ferraro Call for Fair Play : Each Side Proposes Ethics Code in Mayoral Campaign

Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley’s campaign chairman and mayoral candidate Councilman John Ferraro Tuesday challenged each other to run fair campaigns, and both called for campaign ethics codes.

Both Ferraro and Tom Quinn, Bradley’s campaign chairman, asked for a pledge to avoid personal attacks. Ferraro also asked for at least six television debates.

Bradley said he has agreed to one debate to be held in March by the League of Women Voters, although a league spokeswoman said it is not clear whether the forum would be televised. Quinn said he did “not think there’s a reason to have more than one debate.”

Calling for “fair campaign” codes is common in hotly contested races. Bradley proposed a similar code when he ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1982 against George Deukmejian.

In this case, the fairness codes offered by each side are public attempts to take the high road in the campaign. Quinn, with a background in media campaigns and in running a local wire service, has a reputation for sensing issues that make news. Ferraro’s campaign manager, Ron Smith, is known for his aggressive campaigns. Neither campaign wants to be the victim, nor wants to be seen as the perpetrator, of dirty campaign tactics. Bradley last week charged that Ferraro’s campaign was engaging in “dirty politics.”

Under Bradley’s proposal, a panel would study all campaign ads 48 hours before they are published or broadcast during the 30 days before the April 9 election. The three-member panel would consist of one person selected by Bradley, one by Ferraro and one chosen by the other two panelists. The panel would “ensure fairness,” Quinn said. “Without it, it’s like playing the Super Bowl without referees. Why would Ferraro object to an impartial panel?”

Ferraro’s proposal includes no provision for a review panel but calls for campaign materials to be submitted to the opposite side 48 hours in advance during the last two weeks before the election. Smith said that Ferraro would not agree to a panel because “they don’t work, and it just adds more bureaucracy. If each side has a chance to see the materials, that’s fair.”