Mayor Nutter's New Task Force On Ethics & Campaign Finance
As the Daily News predicted last week, Mayor Nutter today announced a new task force to examine city rules and laws on ethics and campaign finance. Nutter and eight other government and civic leaders will pick the task force's members.
As the Daily News predicted last week, Mayor Nutter today announced a new task force to examine city rules and laws on ethics and campaign finance. Nutter and eight other government and civic leaders will pick the task force's members.
Here is the full text of Nutter's press release on the subject:
Mayor Michael A. Nutter signed an Executive Order today establishing the Mayor’s Advisory Task Force on Ethics and Campaign Finance Reform. The Task Force will perform a comprehensive review of the City’s campaign finance ordinance (including provisions related to no-bid contracts); public campaign financing laws in other jurisdictions; City Solicitor and Ethics Board opinions; and additional ethics reforms for City Government with a particular focus on nepotism, outside employment, gifts and lobbying.
“I campaigned on a promise to clean-up city government and to restore citizens’ faith in City Hall - this is one more fulfillment of that promise,” said Mayor Nutter. “This Task Force will conduct a thoughtful and comprehensive review of ethics and campaign finance regulations and will recommend changes to further instill honesty, transparency and accountability throughout city government.”
The Task Force shall consist of nine members, with one member appointed by each of the following:
§ Mayor Michael A. Nutter
§ City Council President Anna C. Verna
§ Pat Eiding – President, Philadelphia Council, AFL-CIO
§ Michael Fitts – Dean, Law School of the University of Pennsylvania
§ Kelly Green – President League of Women Voters of Philadelphia
§ J. Whyatt Mondesire - President, Philadelphia Branch, NAACP
§ Michael Pratt – Chancellor, Philadelphia Bar Association Board of Governors
§ Mark Schweiker - President and CEO, Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce
§ Zack Stalberg – President and CEO, Committee of Seventy
The individuals listed above will submit their appointees to the Mayor within fourteen days. Members may not be an elected official or a current City, State or Federal employee. The Task Force shall hold at least one public hearing to gather information and recommendations from the public and will report to the Mayor and the Council President no later than February 1, 2009. (The Mayor may extend the deadline for submission, upon request of the Task Force, as necessary).
The Task Force is being established at an opportune time. The City of Philadelphia’s 2003 campaign finance ordinance has now been in effect for a full municipal election cycle, the Board of Ethics was created in Spring 2006, and the City’s extensive new requirements on no-bid contracting have been in effect since February 2006. While the ethics climate in City Government has improved significantly as a result of these measures and others, further progress can always be made and it is the job of this Task Force to provide recommendations in areas where improvements can be made to restore and solidify the public’s faith and confidence in its government.