Crosstown Coalition

The Crosstown Coalition invites Philadelphians to discuss mayoral candidates' answers to questions posed by the Coalition. Questions were generated by citizen responses to a questionnaire sent in Feb, 2007. We encourage you to read candidate answers and comment on what you think. By: Bella Vista United Civic Assoc, Center City Residents' Assoc, Logan Square Neighborhood Assoc, Old City Civic Assoc, Queen Village Neighborhood Assoc, Society Hill Civic Assoc, Washington Square West Civic Assoc.

Showing posts with label 01. CORRUPTION. Show all posts

Showing posts with label 01. CORRUPTION. Show all posts

Thursday, April 5, 2007

CROSS INDEX OF POLITICAL DONORS AND CITY BENEFICIARIES

People are fed up with City corruption.

95% of those surveyed indicated that the integrity of the political process would be positively impacted by public disclosure of those who have received City contracts, grants, and loans and 92% indicated that public disclosure of all donors to political campaigns would have a positive impact.

Would your administration publish after each election cycle, a list of the names and affiliations of donors to campaigns and candidates cross indexed with the recipients of City contracts, grants and loans? If not, why not?

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BRADY: Cross Index of Political Donors and City Beneficiaries

Yes.

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EVANS: Cross Index of Political Donors and City Beneficiaries

Yes, my administration will publish this information. I also agree with the Committee Seventy’s comprehensive agenda for an open, transparent and ethical mayoral administration; I was one of the first mayoral candidates to fully endorse their agenda and pledge to implement their recommendations as mayor.

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FATTAH: Cross Index of Political Donors and City Beneficiaries

As part of my ethics plan, I have pledged to post on the city’s eContract Philly website any consultants or lobbyists that a vendor may have utilized in pursuit of all city contracts. Any sub-contractors used by the vendor will also be clearly disclosed.

The website will link to, or provide, records of campaign contributions made by the vendor, its owners or executives, or by the consultants, lobbyists, or sub-contractors to any city official.

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KNOX: Cross Index of Political Donors and City Beneficiaries

Philadelphia deserves a mayor who has no interest in making his friends, relatives or contributors wealthy at our city’s expense. I donated 5 million dollars to my campaign to show that I could not be bought.

As mayor, I’ll make good on my promise to curb pay-to-play politics by pushing for greater openness and disclosure. The citizens of Philadelphia deserve no less.

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NUTTER: Cross Index of Political Donors and City Beneficianaries

In an effort to restore integrity to City Hall and renew the public’s confidence in their government, I have led Philadelphia for comprehensive ethics reform. The initiatives that I championed and supported while in City Council have placed serious tools in the hands of Philadelphians working to end the corruption in our City.

As Councilman, I introduced and successfully passed legislation (Bill No. 050014 and Bill No. 040772-AA and 050613) to help expose the money at the core of the “pay to play” system. As a candidate for Mayor, I have and will continue to disclose every donation I receive. As Mayor, I will direct the appropriate entity to develop a cross indexed data base of my campaign donors and recipients of city contracts.

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FINES FOR DONORS

93% of those surveyed indicated they would have a favorable reaction to a candidate who supported legislation penalizing those who provide gifts or favors to city employees.

Would you, within the first six months of your administration, ask City Council to introduce a meaningful civil penalty to be applied to any person who provides such gifts or favors and, further, barring the issuance of City contracts to any such donor or anyone on whose behalf the donor was acting? If not, why not?

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EVANS: Fines for Donors

Yes, I would support such legislation.

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FATTAH: Fines for Donors

Yes. I would ask Council to pass civil penalties for those who provide gifts or favors to city employees and would support legislation prohibiting them, or those on whose behalf they operated, from receiving city contracts as a way to further curb pay-to-play.

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KNOX: Fines for Donors

As Mayor, I will renew Executive Order No. 002-04, prohibiting gifts, gratuities, and favors for city employees and pledge to take appropriate action against any person or persons violating the order.

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BRADY: Fines for Donors

Yes.

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NUTTER: Fines for Donors

As Mayor I will propose, and work with City Council to enact, legislation that makes permanent the current ban on gifts, gratuities and favors and extends it to all City officials and employees, including City Council and other elected officials and their employees. I will seek a workable penalty for a broad definition of what constitutes a bribe, as part of such legislation.

I have also proposed that all City employees file online financial disclosure information every year, and post that information on the City’s website. The City of Atlanta requires employees and elected officials to file income and conflict of interest information every year they work for the City and the year following their departure; and that the City should random financial audits of elected and senior appointed officials every year and post a comparison of the disclosed and audited results on the City’s website.

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NO BID CONTRACTS

Will your administration award no-bid contracts for non-emergency services? If your answer is “yes”, for what services or products would such no-bid contracts be awarded and would you award them through random selection from a list of qualified service providers? If your answer is “no”, define what you would term an “emergency”.

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FATTAH: No Bid Contracts

No. I have pledged to study ways to completely eliminate no-bid contracting and will maximize the number of contracts awarded through a competitive bid process.

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BRADY: No Bid Contracts

No. I was the first candidate to sign the Committee of Seventy Ethics policy, which defines emergency.

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KNOX: No Bid Contracts

As a businessman, I know the importance of competitive contracting. As Deputy Mayor, I re-bid non-bid contracts and saved the city millions of dollars. If elected mayor, I’ll implement stringent bidding practices that minimize the use of the non-bid process. My budgeting practices will be open, honest, and accountable.

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EVANS: No Bid Contracts

No, I would not favor awarding no-bid contracts for non-emergency services. I would define an “emergency” as any situation that would require immediate response from city government; I would still, however, make all information about such contracts available to the public.

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NUTTER: No Bid Contracts

As Councilman, I introduced and successfully passed new legislation to reform the City’s contracting process. New legislation was approved in June 2005 which provides for an open and transparent process for no-bid contracts, limits campaign contributions, and requires mandatory disclosure of campaign contributions before the award of a no-bid contract and during the contract period.

The new no-bid contract procedures took effect on February 1, 2006. A new link on the City's website has totally transformed the old way of doing business in this City. Contracting opportunities are now online and anyone who is eligible may apply. Contract award decisions must be explained online as well. (These are available at "eContracts Philly" at www.phila.gov.)

As Mayor, I will continue these efforts and will grant no-bid contracts as infrequently as possible – and only when there are compelling reasons to do so, award no-bid contracts only to pre-qualified vendors based on factors such as relevant experience and superior past performance, publish an annual report that contains a list of all firms and companies receiving City business, bid and no-bid, the nature of services provided, the amount paid, the names of the principals in the firms, their lawyers, lobbyists and other key representatives.

As Mayor, I will identify pre-incident contracts and other preparations that would facilitate the orderly exercise of emergency powers in the face of natural or other disaster. The City has not initiated a comprehensive effort to identify the pre-incident contracts that would be required to shelter and feed mass numbers of citizens in a catastrophic event. Yet, Federal Emergency Management Agency regulations require competitively bid contracts for goods and services, such as debris removal, for federal reimbursement. Pre-event contracts for goods and services would enhance the City’s ability to respond effectively to a disaster, and would enable the City to sustain itself for 72 hours or more following a major disaster with effective shelter-in-place and quarantine protocols.

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EMPLOYMENT OF FORMER CITY OFFICIALS

Federal legislation creates a two-year “cooling off” period for high level employees leaving government during which they cannot lobby for projects or employers which they dealt with while in government.

In view of the poll response indicating that 85% believe that the government acts corruptly, would you refuse to appoint any person who refused to sign a contract providing for a monetary forfeiture of one year’s city salary if the appointee violated the proscriptions of the federal law? If not, why not?

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KNOX: Employment of Former City Officials

I will refuse to appoint such a person. Philadelphians deserve elected and appointed officials who will make the right decision not just some of the time, or most of the time, but all of the time.

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