Violation? Ethics Board Questions Mayor's Golf OutingPOSTED: 1:00 pm EDT July 13,
2007 PITTSBURGH -- The city's Ethics Hearing Board is concerned about the possibility that Mayor Luke Ravenstahl violated the city ethics code by playing in the Mario Lemieux Charity Celebrity Invitational last month.Ravenstahl accepted the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's offer to pay for his spot in the annual golf tournament, which benefits the Mario Lemieux Foundation for cancer and other medical research.Acting City Solicitor George Specter said no violation was committed because the money paid by UPMC went to charity, so Ravenstahl's golf outing was covered by charitable exception."Charitable events are covered by the -- certain sections of the ethics code," said Specter. "City employees can accept entrance to charitable events."Still, a representative of the ethics board said a letter would be sent to Ravenstahl, asking him to respond to the matter in writing or go before the board in person."We are expressing our concern about the perception of impropriety because of the interested party, because of the expense of this," said ethics board Chairman Sister Patrice Hughes.Specter said he expects the mayor to respond not only soon, but also enthusiastically."It seems to me that the mayor is certainly in violation of the codes in front of us," said ethics board member Rabbi Danny Schiff. "Not only the Pittsburgh city code but perhaps the state ethics act."The ethics board said it's concerned there might be the perception of an ethics violation or an actual violation."We don't want to stop involvement in charitable activity, but something that's worth $27,000 does, I think, seem to the average citizen, to be a perk," said ethics board Vice Chairman Kathy Buechel."Nobody in their right mind is going to pay $9,000 for a golf game," said Assistant City Solicitor Kate Desimone. "And the actual value of the game had to have been much lower than that.""It was such an excessive amount of money, even though it was for a charitable cause," said Hughes."It leaves the public with an impression that there is a gift being given in order to curry favor with the mayor," said Schiff.The Republican candidate for mayor, Mark DeSantis, said he agrees fully with the ethics board's decision to ask for further explanation:"I think it sends a strong signal, and hopefully the ethics board take their very action, sends a message to every public official locally, that gratuities are just inappropriate," DeSantis said. More:
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