No individual shall use, or promise to use, directly or indirectly, any official authority or influence, whether possessed or anticipated, to affect employment, promotion, pay, or other conditions of employment, either adversely or advantageously, with the city for the purpose of influencing the vote or political action of any person or for any other consideration. No employee of the city shall be denied the right to participate in federal, state, county, and municipal activities, except as limited by federal or state law. A covered employee who is a candidate for municipal office in the City of Muscle Shoals shall take a leave of absence beginning on the day he or she files a statement of candidacy and continuing for as long as he or she is a candidate for the office.