Stier Endorses Committee of Seventy's Ethics Agenda

 “As a community leader I was proud to work closely with the Committee of Seventy on electoral campaigns in favor of two Ethics Reform Charter Amendments. Today I am pleased to endorse all of Seventy’s new Ethics Agenda for City Council,” says Stier. “However, there are a number of areas where Seventy’s agenda is not as comprehensive or far reaching as it should be. So, as a member of Council I would not only enact their agenda but move beyond it in the hopes of fixing our broken politics.”
 
Stier has argued that the city has a politics of fear in which people too often get what they need from government by making special deals with Council members. What we need, he has argued, “is fair, effective and transparent government that serves everyone equally.” “Real ethics reform,” he says, “requires not just new rules, but a transformation in how every city agency operates. We need to eliminate political interference in the operation of the city. To get an ethical government, we need to change the culture of politics in the city,” he concluded.
 
In addition, Stier listed six specific areas where he would go beyond the Seventy Ethics Agenda in proposing new rules and procedures for Council:
 
First, in addition to instituting some system of public financing of our political campaigns, reducing the impact of money on our elections will also require us to reduce the cost of political advertising on television. I have proposed that the next time the cable franchises are up for renewal, the city mandate free or low cost television advertising. I have also called for limiting the amount of campaign advertising from any candidate that can be accepted by any television station or cable company.
 
Second, in addition to regulations on public officials from seeking future outside employment while still on the City’s payroll, I believe that City employees should be banned for two years fromaccepting employment with a business when that official has approved or supervised a city contract with that business. And I believe thatCity Council members should not be allowed to accept employment with any business that has contracted with the City for four years after they leave office.
 
Third, in addition to having fixed rules about when special elections should be called in case of a City Council vacancy, I would amend the charter to either require primaries four weeks before the general election, or non-partisan special elections in which every candidate runs as an independent and political parties may not nominate candidates.
 
Fourth, given that the budget is the blueprint for city government, budget documents should be presented in a format that enables all citizens, including Council members, to understand how much money the city spends in each area of public policy and on every program run by each and every agency. These budget documents should include both the operating and capital budgets.
 
Fifth, to insure that Council has the right to timely, accurate, and honest information before enacting a budget, a new non-partisan agency, independent of both the Mayor and Council, should be established to estimate the City’s revenues each year.
 
Sixth, I believe that the city should entirely do away with the practice of giving members of the Administration or Council free tickets in city-owned or managed facilities. I will, as I have done for the last ten years, buy my own tickets to the Sixers and sit in the stands, not in a private box.
 
 
Stier has long worked for cleaner and more transparent government as a community leader, and wants to make that happen as a City Councilmember. He has recently gained the endorsement of Neighborhood Networks and NOW.