The city of Pittsburgh's Ethics Hearing Board has asked Mayor Luke Ravenstahl to consider changing the city ethics code to restrict the terms under which officials can attend charitable functions. He said today that he will consider the suggestion.

In a one-and-a-half-page letter dated last Friday, the board responded to the mayor's Aug. 21 appearance before it for a discussion of his attendance on June 27 and 28 at the Mario Lemieux Celebrity Invitational. Two entities that do business with the city, the Penguins and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, spent $27,000 each to sponsor three golfers. Each invited the mayor to golf under their sponsorship, the Penguins on the first day and UPMC on the second.

Acting City Solicitor George Specter has said he viewed the mayor as a guest of the sponsors, not the Mario Lemieux Foundation, which holds the invitational at Laurel Valley Golf Club.

The board found that the arrangement did not violate ethics rules that bar gifts from parties that have dealings with the city, because there is an exception for attendance at charitable events. "We encourage you to continue your practice of supporting the charitable sector that provides so many benefits to our community," the letter says.

"We are concerned, however, that attendance by city officials at certain types of charitable events, while technically in conformity with the city Ethics Code, can be misunderstood by the public," it continues. "We are thinking of exclusive events where the price of admission is above the means of most city residents, and where the cost of admission is underwritten by an 'interested party.'

"Even if no quid pro quo is granted, the perception of favoritism or privileged access may persist. Such concerns could lead to an erosion of the public's trust in the impartiality of city officials in making key decisions, signing agreements or awarding contracts."

To avoid that perception, the board wants the city to amend its code to require that invitations to charitable events come only from the charity, and be underwritten only by the charity, rather than by an "interested party." That, the letter says, mirrors the U.S. House of Representatives Ethics Rules.

The board also wants to alter the code to give the board an advisory role. When officials have questions about the ethics of an event or action, they would be able to seek the board's view before stepping into a potential controversy.

In a phone interview, board chair Sister Patrice Hughes said some ethics codes also include a "threshold amount" limiting officials from attending particularly high-dollar charity affairs, and the board might want the city to consider that, too.

"Their recommendations are something that we'll consider," said Mr. Ravenstahl. "Perhaps there are other components of the code that we can look at as well."

He said he agreed that the board should be made available for advice, but hadn't yet decided whether rules on invitations to charity events would make a difference.