MAYOR NUTTER RECEIVES RECOMMENDATIONS FROM TASK FORCE ON ETHICS AND CAMPAIGN FINANCE

MAYOR NUTTER RECEIVES RECOMMENDATIONS FROM TASK FORCE ON ETHICS AND CAMPAIGN FINANCErnPhiladelphia, December 10, 2009 – Today Mayor Michael A. Nutter accepted the Task Force on Ethics and Campaign Finance’s report. This Task Force was convened by the Mayor in October of 2008 and charged with reviewing the City’s campaign finance ordinance and additional ethics issues for City Government to the Mayor and Council President Anna C. Verna. The report focuses not only on adding or changing rules but on reforming the framework in which those rules operate. The report makes four main recommendations to reform the framework in which ethics rules operate:rnMake the Inspector General’s Office independent of the executive branch,rnProvide adequate resources the Ethics Board and increase its transparencyrnMake data on political contributions more easily accessible and searchablernEnsure that, with only limited exceptions, the same ethics rules apply to all City officials and employees.rnThe Task Force also urges immediate action to register and disclose lobbyists, and to tighten campaign finance rules.rnrn“I thank the members of the Task Force for their thoughtful and comprehensive evaluation of all things ethical and campaign finance related,” said Mayor Nutter. “While my Administration has already made government more transparent and evenhanded, the job of reform is not complete. I will carefully review this report and move forward on its recommendations as appropriate. I appreciate that a diverse Task Force appointed by City Council, civic and political organizations, unions, academic institutions, and the Mayor’s Office, was able to come together and, in one voice, articulate their vision for a more ethical government.”rnrnThe Task Force was comprised of 9 members of various backgrounds appointed by different sections of government or various community stakeholder groups. Over the last year the group met repeatedly, includingrnrntwo public hearings where individuals who live, work, or visit Philadelphia were welcome to share their thoughts on the City’s on how government does and should operate.rnrn“I congratulate the members of the Mayor’s Task Force on Ethics and Campaign Finance for taking time from their busy lives to perform this important public service,” said Council President Verna. My Council colleagues and I look forward to reviewing the details of their report.”rnrnThe Task Force was chaired by Michael Schwartz, partner in the Commercial Litigation, White Collar and Corporate Investigations, and Media and Communications Practice Groups of Pepper Hamilton LLP. Before joining Pepper in 2008, Mr. Schwartz headed the Corruption, Civil Rights, Labor and Tax Fraud unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. He successfully prosecuted some of the region’s highest-profile corruption cases.rnrn“This report – unanimously endorsed by all members of this Task Force — is the result of 14 months worth of extensive research and consideration about how to increase honesty, integrity, and transparency in the operation of City government through ethics regulation and enforcement,” said Michael Schwartz, Chairman of the Task Force. “But this report is just a first step. Now is the time for action. Mayor Nutter and City Council have demonstrated their resolve to make Philadelphia a model for ethics reform and to foster confidence in those who live, work, and visit this great City, and we hope that they will continue to do so by implementing these recommendations.”rnrn###rnrnBiographies [with appointers]rnrnMichael Schwartz (Chair) is a partner at Pepper Hamilton LLP. [Mayor Michael Nutter]rnrnNolan Atkinson, Jr. is a partner at Duane Morris LLP and the firm’s first Chief Diversity Officer. [J. Whyatt, President, NAACP Philadelphia Branch]rnrnStephanos Bibas is a Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. [Dean Michael Fitts, University of Pennsylvania Law School]rnrnHeidi Gold is the Director of Communications at Ross Associates, Inc. She is a former president of the League of Women Voters Philadelphia and a current member of the board. [Kelly Green, President, League of Women Voters, Philadelphia Chapter]rnrnBrian McCormick is a partner at Sheller P.C. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Committee of Seventy. [Zack Stalberg, President and CEO, Committee of Seventy]rnrnElizabeth McElroy is the Assistant to the President and Political Director of the Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO. [Pat Eiding, President, Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO]rnrnAl Mezzaroba is the former President and CEO of the Pennsylvania Convention Center. [City Council President Anna C. Verna]rnrnStephanie Resnick is a partner at Fox Rothschild LLP. Ms. Resnick is Chair of the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Board of Governors. [Michael Pratt, Chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association]rnrnEdward Turzanski is a Senior Fellow with the Center for Terrorism, Counter-Terrorism, and Homeland Security at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. [Mark Schweiker, President & CEO, Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce]