Any changes to Pittsburgh's rules of conduct "must not have the effect of restricting access by public officials to charitable events," Mayor Luke Ravenstahl wrote in a letter to the city's Ethics Hearing Board.

The letter, released yesterday, sets the stage for what could be lengthy debate on the city's ethics rules.

The mayor's one-page note is a response to the board's letter to him Aug. 24, in which it addressed his attendance on June 27 and June 28 at the Mario Lemieux Celebrity Invitational golf tournament, held by the Mario Lemieux Foundation. 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 with its executives for one afternoon.

The board found no violation of the ethics code, but recommended a change requiring that invitations to such events come only from the charities hosting them, not from interested parties. Otherwise, the attendance of officials at "exclusive events" with tickets paid for by third parties could lead to "an erosion of the public's trust in the impartiality of city officials," the board wrote.

Board Chairwoman Sister Patrice Hughes said she viewed the mayor's letter as an endorsement of her plan to "look at the entire [ethics] code," which, she noted, was written 16 years ago.

"Within a relatively short period of time, we will do a full review," she said. The board wants to hire "a retired, respected lawyer" to help with the overhaul, she said, and may soon ask the city for funds. The lawyer hasn't yet been picked, she said.

Mr. Ravenstahl's letter echoed the board's view that, as the mayor put it, "charities provide innumerable benefits to our community," and city officials should be able to attend their events.

"I am committed to rigorous enforcement of the city's Code of Conduct and feel that the public's confidence in government depends upon its belief that its elected leaders adhere to high standards of integrity," the mayor continued.

"Like you, I want to meet the goals of transparency and public confidence, while allowing city officials to continue to fully support the charitable sector."

He pledged to "carefully study" the board's recommendations and respond "in the immediate future," though not with "undue haste." A more detailed proposal is not expected by the board's next meeting on Sept. 14.