Marriott just fired an employee because she's a Democrat

[badtoworse]

52. It depends. In general, I would say yes.

If you work for a company that does or potentially could do business with the government entity in question, then the answer is yes. If the government entity is in a position to regulate your company, then again, the answer is yes. It also depends on what you do - the more responsible position you have, the more likely that a potential conflict could exist.

Suppose you worked as a loan officer for a bank that had your city as a client. Do you think it would be appropriate to continue in your role as a loan officer if you also held political office in that city? That is an obvious conflict and no bank would allow you to do that which is entirely proper. Banks and most large companies require you to disclose any potential conflicts you may have so they don't wind up in this situation.

Even if you flip burgers for a living, you could be in a conflicted situation. Suppose you flipped burgers for a restaurant that had an application to expand the restaurant or obtain a liquor license from the town. Would it be appropriate for you sit on the board that makes the decision on the restaurant's application?