http://thinkprogress.org/election/2014/09/23/3570950/marriott-vacations-fire-candidate/
In an interview with ThinkProgress, Janer disputed this concern. Since she has not yet been elected to the office, any conflict would be hypothetical at this point, but she explained that if anything came up where Marriott Vacations Worldwide had an interest while she served on the board, “I’d have to recuse myself just like any other commissioner.” Indeed even as a terminated employee, she vowed, “if I win, whether I’m still employed by them or not, I worked for them for over 11 years [and] I’d have to recuse myself if anything came up [directly related to the company].”
She also said that she did not believe she was required to specifically notify the company of her candidacy — which was no secret — or seek its permission. Indeed, she points to a section of the company’s policy that expressly encourages associates to be involved in politics and government, on their own time. “I followed their written company policy. Nowhere in that policy does it state that I have to ask permission,” she said, “If they have a policy where they say they strongly encourage associates to run for office, I wouldn’t imagine they’d fire me for running for office.”
A ThinkProgress review of the business conduct guide, as well as the company’s internal guidance for political involvement and outside business activity, appears to back Janer’s claims. The company’s political guidelines state that individuals are “encouraged to participate in the political and governmental process, but must be certain that they are doing so using their own resources and their own time,” “to keep personal activities personal.” It specifically says that the company’s encouragement “includes service on governmental bodies, work with advocacy organizations, and participation in partisan political activities.” While it says executives and those involved with government contracting must “obtain permission from Marriott’s Office of Government Affairs prior to making state and local contributions,” it places no such requirement on would-be political candidates.
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