Overview of Ethics Reform
It may sound like this is just an effort to make life more difficult for sticky-fingered politicians, but this term actually covers multiple initiatives intended to remedy a wide range of governmental failings.
In a philosophical sense, ethics reform is about right and wrong and about ensuring that those in government meet their responsibilities to the public. In a practical sense, ethics reform is about raising citizen expectations regarding the quality of municipal services, ensuring equal opportunity when it comes to public employment and contracting opportunities, and eliminating discriminatory treatment, which favors the "connected" over everyone else.
Ultimately, ethics reform is about dollar and cents - tax dollars wasted or stolen, potential residents turned off by stories of municipal corruption, and corporate investment directed to jurisdictions lacking our now infamous "pay-to-play culture."
Why is Ethics Reform Needed ?
Although it's hard to nail down an accurate individual or total cost, government waste occurs at every level of government, in every state, county and municipality in America, regardless of which political party is running the show. Sometimes it's a case of outright corruption, but much more frequently it's simply the political winners and their allies taking advantage of the "spoils of victory."
Ethical misconduct takes place in every type of institution from borough councils to the federal government, from the richest countries to the poorest, and in the public, private and non-profit sectors. Unfortunately, Philadelphia has a more notorious image than most cities for our corrupt and unfair political system, which inhibits the city's growth on many levels. For the Philadelphia region to return to national and international economic prominence, we need to trim the political fat and use this significant savings to both reduce city taxes and improve services. We also need to lose, once and for all, our reputation for being "corrupt and contented" as described by Lincoln Steffen in 1903. The reality is that with our industries and amenities we are very well positioned for the 21st Century, but we are held back by the national perception we at least tolerate and arguably celebrate 19th Century machine politics
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Reform--February 2007 |
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The political-watchdog group Committee of Seventy has sent a letter asking the Board of Ethics to investigate spending by mayoral candidate Chaka Fattah's exploratory committee By: Catherine Lucey
Source: Philadelphia Daily News
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Letter Sent to 2007 Declared City Council Candidates on February 12 asking them to Commit to an Agenda of Better Ethics, Principles and Values By: Zack Stalberg
Source: Lettr
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The Committee of Seventy is asking you and the other declared candidates for Philadelphia City Council to commit to the attached Ethics Agenda – which is directed towards changing the political culture in Philadelphia. Each of the five declared Democratic mayoral candidates have already endorsed proposals in a similar Ethics Agenda. A copy has just been sent to the new Republican candidate.
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BY ENDORSING the three overarching principles of the Committee of Seventy's Ethics Agenda, the city's mayoral candidates are talking the talk. Now they need to walk the walk.
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onaire Tom Knox could lose his lopsided spending edge in the mayor's race if City Council adopts a proposal by Councilman Jim Kenney to suspend newly enacted campaign contribution limits. By: Dave Davies
Source: Philadelphia Daily News
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