Ethics Board Meets Friday

(H/T to Maria of 2 Political Junkies for use of the above photo.)

UPDATE: It turns out that I won't personally get to cover the first ethics board meeting; I'm part of our team coverage of the visit by President Bush to St. Vincent College. I'm told they're hoping for regularly scheduled meetings from now on. I was looking forward to covering the first, but other duties call.

The controversy over some Redd Up Crew workers wearing the above pictured t-shirts will land in the laps of Pittsburgh Ethics Hearing Board members. Mayor Ravenstahl has referred the issue to them.

That panel plans to hold its first official meeting with all five members present this Friday morning. It's set for 11:00 on May 11th in Pittsburgh City Council Chamber.

My Channel 4 Action News report on the controversy includes a new allegation: that a member Councilman Koch's staff made a campaign call from Koch's government office. That claim also appears to be headed for the ethics board. (I've added a video link here to a story on The Pittsburgh Channel.)

Regular readers of Pittsburgh's burgosphere have noticed lapses in posts by a variety of bloggers-about-town lately. (Was there a vacation package offered at that Boot Camp Pittsburgh seminar? Now I really wish I'd attended. ) Now, just as others have reappeared, I find myself temporarily going longer between offering blog posts. My apologies. I hope to pick up the pace again in a couple of weeks, but I won't be absent entirely in the meantime. For now, I'm a bit sleep-deprived from making sure that one of our beloved cats stays in his e-collar while recovering from a medical procedure.

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UPDATED Skrinjar Post: No One In The Wings?

UPDATE: At 10:35am, the mayor's office e-mailed a news release announcing that the Press Secretary position is being publicly posted for applicants today.

(Snapshot from job description on city website. Despite the listed physical demands,
that's not to suggest the job does not involve "heavy lifting".)

It may take as long as a full month to fill the sudden vacancy created by Dick Skrinjar's removal from his post as Mayor Ravenstahl's Director of Communications.

Speaking briefly with reporters following an unrelated event, the Mayor said "the next four weeks, there will be a decision made".

While it's not unusual for a mayor to bring in his own team, it is unusual to vacate a key position without a new player waiting immediately in the wings. Skrinjar was one of three people affected by a shakeup in the mayor's office last Friday.

The Director of Communications job is not currently posted on the city Personnel Department's Online Employment Center website, nor are the other vacated positions. (See update above; the job was added the day after this blog post first appeared.)

In contrast, the names of Dick Skrinjar, Marlene Cassidy, and Anna Dobkin were removed from the mayor's office website the same day that they were removed from the mayor's staff.

Compare Google's snapshot of the mayor's office staff web page...

(Click to Enlarge)

...with the way the that page looked by Saturday morning.

(Click to Enlarge)

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Mayor's Office Shakeup

"...will allow us to reshuffle

and maybe rethink how

we do business..."

UPDATE: The post-Skrinjar era at the mayor's office got off to a bit of a rocky start this evening.

Prior to our 6 o'clock news, the mayor's temporary media contact Joanna Doven returned my call with an update I'd requested.

She told me "Anna Dobkin has not accepted the job, so she is no longer with the city", and that the mayor granted Marlene Cassidy's request for an extension of time to decide on her job offer. I reported both items on the air.

Minutes later, Anna Dobkin herself telephoned me to say the mayor's office was incorrect. Dobkin says she notified both Economic Development Director Pat Ford and Planning Director Noor Ismael that she's accepted the transfer to Planning. Asked for a quote, Dobkin said " I'm happy to continue working for the city". I told her I'd get the correction on the air and notify the mayor's office. I quickly e-mailed a correction to the producer in the control room, as I phoned the mayor's staffer Doven.

Doven told me she "know(s) what I'm talking about", but suggested that I "hold off". She said the information she'd provided earlier came directly from the mayor as of 5:30. She promised an update when one becomes available. I phoned the control room again to stop the correction from airing until the city's position is resolved.

UPDATE TWO: At 9 o'clock, Doven of the mayor's office confirmed that Dobkin had accepted the position and said that the earlier announcement had been the result of a miscommunication. Word from the mayor's office on Marlene Cassidy's decision is expected early next week.


You can see the raw video of my Q&A with Mayor Ravenstahl on the Pittsburgh Channel website.

The following is based on my Channel 4 Action News report on the shakeup in the mayor's office:


Mayor Ravenstahl himself calls two of the three members he's removed from his administration "close confidants" of the late Bob O'Connor--and he says there's no bad blood.

He met one-by-one this morning with all three:
--letting each know this is their last day at the highest levels of pittsburgh government,
-offering them lower-ranking city jobs,
-and giving them until the close of the business day to accept or reject them.

Luke Ravenstahl's big shakeup makes his mark on the mayor's office by removing three key figures closely tied to the late Mayor Bob O'Connor.

Chief among them: Dick Skrinjar who is ousted as the mayor's spokesman. Skrinjar's O'Connor ties date back to the last campaign. Skrinjar has accepted a city parks job, running senior citizens activities.

Mayor Ravenstahl admits "it can be perceived as a demotion, but I want to reiterate that by no means do I have any ill feelings or any bad words to say about any of the three of the employees."

Also out: the mayor's Executive Secretary Marlene Cassidy, whose ties to O'Connor date back decades. She's been offered a job at a city authority. She shares a home with Dennis Regan, the controversial O'Connor confidant who resigned as Ravenstahl's operations director months ago.

The mayor hints he's not done, saying there could be "perhaps a reshuffling of the entire fifth floor. but we will be soliciting and looking for qualified candidates for both positions immediately."

Out as well is the O'Connor campaign official who planned the late mayor's inauguration as well as O'Connor's funeral. Anna Dobkin is out as Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, but was offered a job in City Planning.

Some see this as Chief of Staff Yarone Zober flexing muscle, but Council President Doug Shields says it's Ravenstahl shaping his team.

Said Shields: "I think Yarone Zober as the Chief of Staff has the strong role. He's the mayor's right hand man and as such he's going to be a key player in the Ravenstahl administration."

Mayor Ravenstahl said "we'll know by Monday if they have accepted the positions."

"So, they're still on the city payroll but they're not holding those jobs?" I asked.

Mayor Ravenstahl paused, then responded "...through today, correct."

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Being "Circumspect" Isn't A Bad Thing

I've gotten some questions about my reporting that Pittsburgh Ethics Hearing Board members were "very circumspect" in their answers.

Some readers felt perhaps "circumspect" is a negative description. It's not. In some professions--like the judiciary and journalism--it's a virtue.

Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary says "circumspect" means "careful to consider all circumstances and possible consequences : Prudent ".

The Oxford American Thesaurus describes "circumspect" and "vigilant" as synonyms for: careful, cautious, wary, watchful, and alert.

It says "to be circumspect is to be watchful in all directions and with regard to all possible consequences ( | these journalists have to be circumspect, not criticizing anyone too harshly)".

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Ethics Board Podcast...& A Look At Its Powers

Update: I've redone the podcast, organizing it by topic
instead of using the raw audio.

As promised, here's a link to a podcast based on Q&A with city ethics hearing board members Kathy Beuchel & Sister Patrice Hughes and board nominee Penny Zacharias.

All three are very circumspect in their answers. They emphasize what they see as the educational and service role of the Pittsburgh Ethics Hearing Board.

That's not to say the board will lack powers and duties to investigate alleged ethical violations and hold hearings on complaints.

The city code gives them the authority to issue subpoenas and take sworn testimony, require evidence, and issue orders and penalties.

The code makes it clear they can launch investigations on their own, with or without a complaint.

Section 197.12 (a) (1) (INVESTIGATIONS) says:

"Upon a complaint signed under penalty of perjury by any individual or upon the Ethics Hearing Board's own motion, the City Solicitor shall conduct a preliminary inquiry into any alleged violation of the city provisions." [Emphasis added.]

(The city's ethics handbook is available online. It reviews the city's code of conduct and the powers of the ethics hearing board.)

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Ethics Board: Closer, But No Quorum

This post is based on my Channel 4 Action News report.
I hope to add a podcast this weekend.
The Trib's story is at this link. The PG's coverage is here.

The allegations against Councilwoman Twanda Carlisle prompted city council and the late Mayor Bob O'Connor to revive Pittsburgh's ethics board, but the panel still hasn't managed to start its job since it was confirmed last summer. Today, some members gathered to try to get things in gear.



Those criminal charges against Councilwoman Carlisle don't appear to be on the radar of the ethics board members, at least not yet. They did, however, answer some reporter questions about the job facing them when they finally do get a quorum and start dealing with the business of city ethics.

It was the kickback conspiracy charges against Twanda Carlisle filed by District Attorney Stephen Zappala that prompted the mayor to ask the city ethics board to try again to hold it's first meeting. Today, they still couldn't muster a quorum, but the two members and one nominee who did make it don't seem inclined to take up the Carlisle case.

Sister Patrice Hughes said "that sort of has been turned over to Steve Zappala's office. Would we be beating a dead horse if we picked this up?"

Her fellow ethics board member Kathy Beuchel said "I think you look to what's important for this commission to do going forward."

Sister Hughes did answer that they could look at spending by city officials: "that's a critical issue, and I think we've seen examples, terrible examples of expenses that really are not promoting good government, that are self-serving. And that would be something that should be looked at".

But Hughes, Beuchel, and ethics nominee Penny Zacharias, are all more focused on teaching city officials and workers about ethics than launching investigations. Bbeuchel spoke of "charting a course that has a strong education and prevention component to it, so that all of the city employees and those that are considered public interested can really have the right context."

Zacharias said "we have a great opportunity to open up all aspects of the authorities of the board. Education is obviously a very important one of those, though."

Two ethics board members are out of the country, preventing the panel from having a quorum--at least until Mayor Ravenstahl's nominee is confirmed by pittsburgh city council next week. Rev. John Welch is in Canada and Rabbi Dr. Daniel Schiff is in Israel, according to an aide to the mayor.

Here's a link tracking back my previous posts on the ethics board. So far, the Pittsburgh Channel version of my story does not include the video.

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Oh, The Places You'll Go: The Reporter-Free Zone

Follow along?

Out a restricted access side-door, down a private corridor, out an electronically-locked back door, down a less-used elevator, across a long lobby, immediately back onto another elevator, and back upstairs again.

That's the circuitous path the Pittsburgh Ethics Hearing Board nominee took out of city council chamber, thanks to an aide to the mayor and a city law department lawyer.

What happened with Ethics Board Nominee Penny Zacharias after her questioning by council became much more interesting than her appearance itself. ( She was welcomed with polite, brief, encouraging comments by council members.) Elaine Effort of KQV and I were the only reporters covering her appearance, and I was there without a photographer. We were going to introduce ourselves and ask the nominee a few basic questions.

Now, the unexpected intrigue.




Instead of walking out of council chamber's public door, Mayor Ravenstahl's Manager of Policy Gabe Mazefsky and Assistant City Solicitor Kate DiSimone led Penny Zacharias out through a private side-door to the city clerk's office. Elaine Effort and I left council chamber by the main door; from the hall, we could see the trio standing behind council's reception area. We approached. They retreated down the private council hallway.

I asked a city clerk official if we could speak with Zacharias, and she told us they were apparently meeting. Three minutes later, she told us that they were gone.

Elaine and I headed for the City-County Building lobby, checking out the exits on the Ross Street side and Grant Street side. I phoned mayor's aide Mazefsky, who told me the nominee had left. At that point, Elaine called to me. She'd spotted Zacharias and DiSimone. The pair had gotten off an elevator on the opposite side of the building from city council, near Ross Street. They were standing around a corner next to the elevator, away from wider view.

Remember, I don't have a photographer, just my microcassette. Elaine Effort approached Zacharias with her KQV microphone and audio recorder to ask a few questions, but Zacharias refused and started walking away.

Elaine pointed her microphone and began recording, and I clicked on my microcassette. Zacharias and the assistant solicitor kept walking--so we did too, recording as we went. The audio on my cassette is hard to hear because of the lobby's accoustics, but here's what I can make out:

Effort: "Why can't you answer just a few-- a simple question?"

Nominee Zacharias: "I'm not answering (unintelligible)."

Mayo: "Would you be willing to talk to us about how you came to serve on the board? Had you sought out a position, or were you nominated or invited?"

Effort: "It's a public board..."

Solicitor DiSimone: "She was nominated by the mayor."

Mayo: "Right. So the question was: was she recruited for the position? Did she volunteer?"

Effort: "How did it come to you? Why are you uncomfortable talking about a public board that people are interested in seeing reconvened? Why is it a problem? It's a public board."

Nominee Zacharias (not breaking stride): "That's correct, and I'm very excited to serve on it, and I'm looking forward to it."

Mayo: "Would you be willing to stop walking and chat with us, and answer a few basic background biograph(ic)al questions?"

( At this point, Zacharias and the assistant city solicitor get back onto another elevator--this one on the opposite [i.e. Grant Street] side of the City-County Building. I hold the elevator door open and Elaine joins me in doing so.)

Solicitor DiSimone: "I'm going to show Miss Zacharias where our meeting is going to be on Friday."

Mayo: "You are (who); I'm sorry?"

Solicitor DiSimone: "My name is Kate DiSimone, I'm with the city law department and will be meeting this Friday..."

Mayo: "Do you know what time and the location of the meeting?"

Solicitor DiSimone: "The meeting is scheduled for 10 o'clock. I'm not sure of the location yet." ( Editor's note: see two answers earlier, above.)

Mayo: Okay, and under the Sunshine Act, it will be open and we'll be able to attend, correct?

Solicitor DiSimone: "We're not sure if it's going to be a business meeting yet, based on the fact that only three members have RSVP'ed to us so far, so..."

Mayo: "Nonetheless, you're covered by the Sunshine Act. You can't, unless..."

Solicitor DiSimone: "We are covered by the Sunshine Act, and certainly it's an Ethics Board meeting; we're not interested in hiding...from the media or from publicity. But one of the first orders of business will be for the board to elect a chairman, and the members really don't know each other very well yet. So perhaps the first order of business... well, not business, but... The first thing for them to do is get to know each other a little bit and decide how to move forward on the chairmanship."

Mayo: "What members are available for the meeting?"

Solicitor DiSimone: "We have Penny, we have Sister Patrice Hughes, and I believe Kathy Buechel."

Mayo: "Okay, and I guess she (Zacharias) won't be confirmed by then, so they (council) won't vote until next week."

Solicitor DiSimone: "No, they will not vote next week, but judging from the tenor of the council meeting today, I don't think there's going to be any problem."

Mayo: "It will be a get-acquainted session."

Solicitor DiSimone: "I believe so."

Mayo (to Zacharias): "And again, why were you declining to just stand still and talk to us...and why'd you duck out the back door?"

Nominee Zacharias: "I was in a meeting, actually after the meeting. I was getting some materials that were mentioned at the meeting. Nothing to hide. Just going on with Miss DiSimone right now."

Mayo & Effort: "Okay, thank you. Thank you." ( The elevator doors closed. )


( Note: while Mazefsky said Zacharias had left, she had actually walked halfway around the City-County Building's fifth floor, rode an elevator down to the first floor, walked across the lobby to the side where she began, and then rode an elevator back up again. Some members of the general public must do that to get to areas on floors divided by locked doors and restricted access. With her escort, however, it doesn't appear the nominee had any trouble passing through restricted areas.)

I'm recounting all of this here for a few reasons. For one, it's a window into what reporters sometimes face in gathering the most simple information from public officials. For another, it shows a reason why I'm so interested in the slow-to-revive ethics board. The most simple answers and access somehow become complicated and difficult-to-get when covering this story. It's the sort of thing that naturally gets a reporter's attention.

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