Ethics in Government
Good government doesn't just mean doing what's legal; it means doing what's right. The Committee of Seventy works hard to see that public officials are doing the right thing. But an important part of that is giving those officials clear guidelines and rules that help them not just comply with the law but serve the public with honor and effectiveness.
Ethics Agendas for 2011 municipal elections (November 8, 2011)
In advance of the November 8 General Election, the non-partisan Committee of Seventy issued a "2011 Ethics Agenda" to candidates running for City Council and Mayor and a "2011 Reform Agenda" to candidates running for City Commissioners. Each agenda asked candidates to let voters know where they stand on city ethics reforms. You can read the Committee of Seventy's proposed reforms for candidates for the offices of
Mayor,
City Council, and
City Commissioners and the
responses from the candidates.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS: HOW CITY COUNCIL HAS DEALT WITH ETHICS AND WHAT STILL NEEDS TO BE DONE (APRIL 29, 2011)
The Committee of Seventy’s newest report -- "Unfinished Business: How City Council Has Dealt With Ethics Issues and What Still Needs to be Done" – challenges the 2011 candidates for Philadelphia City Council to declare their positions on 24 specific ethics reforms. The report also has a scorecard on Council’s progress on ethics reforms over the last few years. Read to learn more about what the people who want to represent you in Council are doing and thinking about ethics reforms and check back with www.seventy.org for regular updates on the candidates’ responses to the 2011 Ethics Agenda.
Ethics reforms in Philadelphia government (March 15, 2010)
On March 4, 2010, 15 members of City Council co-sponsored seven
bills on ethics and campaign finance. The first hearing on the bills
(March 10th) focused on two proposed amendments to the Home Rule
Charter: (1) to establish an Office of the Inspector General, and (2) to
authorize City Council to enact, by ordinance, rules on political
activity by city employees. Click here to read
Seventy’s testimony on these bills.
top ten ethics reforms for philadelphia government (October 31, 2007)
Our bread and butter issues are fighting for ethics in Philadelphia
Government. Click here to see our top-ten list of reforms we'd like to see in Philadelphia.
ethics agendas for 2007 municipal elections
During the 2007 Mayoral and City Council elections, we issued
ethics agendas and asked candidates to sign on. Many Councilmembers who
succeeded in the election signed on to the agenda. Then-candidate
Michael Nutter signed on to many of the suggested reforms, and even
issued his own reform agenda. Click here to read our ethics agenda for City Council.