Members of the Pittsburgh Ethics Hearing Board got together yesterday, but it couldn't take any action because of its inability to muster a quorum.

The five-seat board has four members. A fifth, Penny Zacharias, has been nominated and faces a City Council confirmation vote next week. Ms. Zacharias attended the meeting, as did board members Kathleen Buechel and Sister Patrice Hughes.

Absent were the Rev. John Welch and Rabbi Dr. Daniel Schiff. Because only two confirmed members were present, the board could not conduct official business.

The board, created in 1991, has been dormant for almost all of its existence. Mayor Luke Ravenstahl has said he wants to rejuvenate it in light of corruption charges against Councilwoman Twanda Carlisle.