Yesterday, Philadelphia's Task Force on Ethics and Campaign Finance Reform released a 58-page report [1] (plus ethics laws) requested by the city's mayor and council president in 2008.

The report recommends a large number of reforms, most of them stricter than what exists, some of them less strict and more realistic. Here are some of the most important recommendations:

Make ethics rules applicable to all city officials and employees. Now some rules apply only to the executive branch.

Make the inspector general an independent office able to investigate elected officials other than the mayor.

Require lobbyists to register and disclose their activities.

Ensure the ethics board's budget (it was recently reduced by 20%).

Make campaign finance data easily available and searchable.

Change from annual contribution limits to election-cycle limits (annual limits favor incumbents).

Get rid of the "death penalty" sanction, which disqualifies any ethics violator from holding office or working for the city.

Provide whistleblower protection.

Clarify ethics code definitions.

Add clear rules and transparency to the waiver process.

Liberalize the prohibitions on political activity, e.g., allow city workers to make campaign contributions.

Create a select citizens commission to make recommendations regarding a possible public campaign financing program.

This is a report that is definitely worth reading.

Robert Wechsler
Director of Research, City Ethics

203-230-2548