A definition of a watchdog is "one who serves as a guardian or protector against waste, loss or illegal practices." For too long, that crucial role has been missing in Philadelphia.
But the newly independent Board of Ethics, and the ethics watchdog, now appear to be on the case. Last week two elected officials were sanctioned for improperly doling out cash in the hotly contested 2007 primary. The action underscores the need for a task force launched by Mayor Nutter to enhance ethical standards for campaigns and the conduct of all business at City Hall.
In slapping hefty fines on the campaign committees of City Councilman Curtis Jones Jr. and State Sen. Vincent Hughes (D., Phila.) over cash donations in violation of city campaign-finance rules, the Board of Ethics sent a strong warning about unregulated election-day "street money" spending that can unfairly sway the vote.
When Hughes publicly characterized as only a bookkeeping error the flagged payment of thousands in cash to Jones' 2007 primary fight, the ethics watchdog slapped him around again. Board of Ethics executive director J. Shane Creamer Jr. on Thursday suggested Hughes also may have run afoul of the state election rules - a claim that should be tested by the state attorney general.
The board's handling of Jones and Hughes - who will pay fines of $22,500 and $7,500, respectively - comes on the heels of last year's exposure of sleazy campaign tactics by John J. Dougherty's electricians union against Nutter in the 2007 mayoral primary.
Every crackdown by the Board of Ethics should make it crystal clear that the city is getting serious about eradicating its pay-to-play political culture. The long-accepted ways of doing business need to end.
Tight donor limits under the city's 2003 campaign-finance law have cut the influence of big-money donations on government policy. But it's still vital to be vigilant, since the ants are always trying to get back into the kitchen.
That's why Nutter's Task Force on Ethics and Campaign Finance Reform must push ahead with more measures to expand campaign-finance limits, as well as address loopholes in ethics rules. The city needs to register lobbyists and limit gifts to officials, nepotism, and fraternization among city workers and moonlighting.
The nine-member panel will likely miss its Feb. 1 deadline to provide recommendations to Nutter and City Council.
In the end, the task force should produce what its chairman, former federal prosecutor Michael A. Schwartz, calls "strong, passionate suggestions." That way, Council and Nutter will feel compelled to enact the reforms.
Not every recommendation needs to be a bitter pill. It's clear the City Charter ban on political activity by officials goes too far in banning even campaign buttons, and should be brought in line with reasonable federal rules under the Hatch Act.
The city has made a good start on ethics and clean campaigns; indeed, it's being looked to as a model around the country, says Schwartz. But it could use more disinfectant.