Proposal would restrict ND officeholders' ads

Johnson said he has avoided appearing in agency ads during the election season. He said he would be interested in seeing the details of Potter's legislation, which has not yet been drafted.

"It sounds kind of extreme, but I don't know where the line should be drawn," Johnson said. "It's a good discussion for the Legislature to have. I think they'll find lots and lots and lots of questions that are going to have to be answered."

Hamm said there was nothing wrong with elected officials appearing in advertisements about the services their agencies offer. If an officeholder appears in an ad, the image adds credibility and gives people a "point of reference" to inquire later about the ad's contents, Hamm said.

"I don't agree with the premise that government-sponsored public service advertisements that have the officeholder in them are inappropriate," Hamm said. "It's part of their job to inform the public about assistance that their individual department can offer."

Potter said agencies could advertise their services and spread the word about new laws or policies without using an elected officeholder's voice or likeness.

"Any professional ad person would tell you, what you're trying to focus on is the issue at hand," Potter said. "This is clearly done for the purposes of advancing the political future of one individual, and that is wrong. We shouldn't be spending government money to do that."