PITTSBURGH -- Allegations against a Pittsburgh city councilwoman prompted the council and the late Mayor Bob O'Connor to revive the city's Ethics Hearing Board, but the panel still hasn't managed to start its job since it was confirmed last summer.

The kickback conspiracy charges filed against Councilwoman Twanda Carlisle recently by District Attorney Stephen Zappala prompted Mayor Luke Ravenstahl to ask the ethics board to try again to hold its first meeting.

Some board members gathered on Friday, trying to get things in gear, WTAE Channel 4's Bob Mayo reported.

They still couldn't muster a quorum, but the two members and one nominee who did make it didn't seem inclined to take up the Carlisle case.

"That sort of has been turned over to Steve Zappala's office," said board member Sister Patrice Hughes. "Would we be beating a dead horse if we picked this up?"

"I think you look to what's important for this commission to do going forward," said board member Kathy Beuchel.

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The Busman's Holiday: Bob Mayo Blogs On The Carlisle Case And The Ethics Board

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Hughes said the board could look at spending by city officials.

"That's a critical issue," she said. "I think we've seen terrible examples of expenses that really are not promoting good government, that are self-serving, and that would be something that should be looked at."

But Hughes, Beuchel and board nominee Penny Zacharias are more focused on teaching city officials and workers about ethics than launching investigations.

Beuchel said they should be "charting a course that has a strong education and prevention component to it, so that all of the city employees and those that are considered public interested can really have the right context."

"We have a great opportunity to open up all aspects of the authorities of the board. Education is obviously a very important one of those, though," Zacharias said.

Two ethics board members are out of the country, preventing the board from having a quorum -- at least, until Ravenstahl's nominee is confirmed by City Council next week.

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