[BigV]

This whole issue is a tempest in a teapot.

A "bribe"? Sure. Just as the gnat sees the splash from my teaspoon as a tidal wave. I guess it depends on your perspective. I'm bigger than that and I'm certain everyone else here is too.

If I'm running an organization, I'd want to have the best people working for me. You might say "bribe", others, like me, might say "headhunting" or "poaching" or "recruiting". But even the most dedicated opponent agrees that the law says appointees can not also hold or run for office. So, instead of breaking the law, by telling the person you're seeking to add to your team that, by law, they can not hold or run for office, the administration was obeying the law.

How can anyone fail to understand that?

The only answer to that question I can conceive of is either maliciousness or laziness.