Members of Pittsburgh's Ethics Hearing Board said yesterday that Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's participation in a charity golf event last month may have violated city and state ethics limits, or at least created the appearance of impropriety, and voted to ask him to explain the circumstances of his two-day appearance there.

Mr. Ravenstahl was sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, which paid $27,000 for the participation of three golfers, including the mayor. Though no complaint has been filed related to the June 27 and 28 event, news reports prompted board Chair Sister Patrice Hughes to put the matter on the agenda.

UPMC "has multi-million-dollar contracts with the city," Sister Hughes said. The amount UPMC paid is "such an excessive amount of money ... even though it was a charitable cause."

"It seems to me that the mayor is certainly in violation of the codes in front of us," said board member Rabbi Danny Schiff. "It leaves the public with the impression that there is a gift being given in order to curry favor with the mayor."

Acting City Solicitor George Specter later mounted a defense. He noted that the city code allows officials to accept free entry to charitable or civic events.

"I do not think that $27,000 represents the value of playing golf for two days and getting breakfast and lunch," he said. "I understand that the $27,000 goes to the charity, entirely for cancer research. ... It does not appear that there is an appearance of impropriety."

The mayor golfed in both days of the Mario Lemieux Celebrity Invitational, sponsored by the Penguins owner's foundation and held at the Laurel Valley Golf Club in Ligonier. He golfed with UPMC officials, Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato, a PNC Financial executive, Penguins officials, Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, and former football great Joe Theismann.

City code bars officials from accepting gifts from parties that do business with the city, as UPMC does, with exceptions.

Rabbi Schiff argued that an exception for charitable events was meant to allow officials to go to events which members of the general public could attend, rather than high-dollar invitationals. Mr. Specter later disagreed with that assessment.

"It certainly is hard to avoid the conclusion that he certainly has accepted something of monetary value -- of considerable monetary value -- by which he can be influenced," Rabbi Schiff said. Such a gift could make him "beholden to the group that gave him access to these celebrities and other public figures."

"Something that's worth $27,000 does seem to the average citizen to be something of a perk," agreed board Vice Chair Kathy Buechel. She added that the board should not "chill involvement in charitable activities."

Two other members, the Rev. John Welch and lawyer Penny Zacharias, were absent.

Sister Hughes will craft a letter asking for information from the mayor, which she will circulate to board members before sending it. The mayor can then respond in writing or in person, she said. The board next meets Aug. 10.

Mr. Specter said he did not know whether the mayor, who was finishing a vacation in Mexico, preferred to meet the board in person or to send a letter. He characterized the mayor as "a guest of UPMC" at the golf event.

The long-dormant board became active this year. It can investigate matters, using Law Department attorneys or independent lawyers.

It can declare that ethics violations occurred and take actions ranging from warnings and censures to recommendations of suspension or impeachment, or levy fines up to $1,000.

Republican mayoral challenger Mark DeSantis said he would "give the mayor the benefit of the doubt and say that perhaps there's information we haven't seen that would explain the situation." He said he wouldn't accept anything of value from anyone doing business with the city.

The board also voted to declare the May 8 incident in which members of the city Redd Up Campaign were seen wearing a city councilman's campaign T-shirts while working to be an ethics violation. Mr. Ravenstahl suspended five crew workers for five days, but most returned to work after two unpaid days off while appealing the punishment using union grievance procedures. Those grievances are still pending.