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City No Longer Corrupt Thanks to Ethics Website

By Aaron Kase

Add Comment | Comments: 0 | Posted Apr. 9, 2010

Mayor Nutter is giving an address today at City Hall at 3 p.m. to discuss the definition of irony. That is, to announce the city’s new ethics website, IntegrityWorks.

We took a sneak peek and learned that the site is “the place to learn about why and how the City of Philadelphia operates honestly and ethically.”

The idea is to clearly explain all the ethics rules that those employed by or who do business with the city are expected to follow. You know, stuff like not taking gifts from a contractor who is bidding on a city contract.

If you’re a city employee: “The public (which includes you, too, in your nonwork hours) is entitled to have you perform your job with honesty and fairness. You give no person extra favors, and give no person any less service, because of a relationship you might have or because of someone’s political views.”

If you serve on a board: “The citizens, businesses, and visitors of Philadelphia are entitled to have you act with honesty and fairness, without regard for a relationship financial interest, or political affiliation.”

Did anyone send this link to the BRT?

If only this website had been available years ago; we wouldn’t be in this property-values mess. Maybe this can also set straight the Parking Authority, City Council, Charter School administrators, etc. etc. ad nauseum.

“Good ethics is good business," says Chief Integrity Officer Joan Markman, whose office created the website. "If people want to do business in the city they want to see that everyone operates on a level playing field. “It’s kind of a nuts and bolts website. It makes it pretty clear that it’s not just the responsibility of city officials, but we expect the same thing from board members and people with whom we do business.”

We’re not sure what we’re going to do with our time now that there won’t be any more corruption in city government—it operates honestly and ethically, the website TOLD US so—but we’ll leave you with a final IntegrityWorks tip for keeping out of trouble: “You can also apply the “six o’clock news” test: Would you want the news media to report your actions?”

Hey, that’s us!