Mayor Luke Ravenstahl ordered a halt to construction of a Downtown billboard yesterday while a national advertising firm assailed City Council for challenging the billboard and the city Urban Redevelopment Authority triggered a state ethics investigation of its top man over his relationship with an executive at the ad firm.

The developments came in the wake of news that URA Executive Director Pat Ford and his wife, former mayoral press secretary Alecia Sirk, repeatedly took gifts including a surround sound system from their friend, Jim Vlasach, real estate manager for Lamar Advertising in Pittsburgh.

For years Mr. Ford has played central roles in city dealings with Lamar, including smoothing the way for the company's lease and permit to put a 1,200-square-foot digital billboard on the Grant Street Transportation Center, Downtown.

The proposed billboard was approved administratively by city planning officials after Mr. Ford negotiated a deal with Lamar to replace six vinyl billboards with one electronic one. Five council members and others say the billboard should have been subject to public hearings and zoning approval.

Mr. Ravenstahl issued his order yesterday afternoon after Lamar attorney Sam Kamin had told the Zoning Board of Adjustment that the company would not halt construction during the appeal, as required by city ordinance.

Mr. Ravenstahl then told the Bureau of Building Inspection to order Lamar to stop work. If the firm does not comply, it could face fines of as much as $1,000 a day, and the city could seek an injunction ordering a halt.

Later in the afternoon, Mr. Kamin said he hadn't seen any order to stop work, and couldn't comment. By late afternoon, a significant part of the sign was built.

Mr. Ravenstahl, who said previously that there was no problem with the process that led to the sign's permitting, changed his stance yesterday.

"There are concerns about the process that was undertaken in this regard," he said. "I think it's something that the public should decide."

The zoning code does not allow construction of new advertising signs Downtown. It also contains numerous provisions that trigger public hearings and votes for various types of signs. Mr. Ford advised the zoning administrator that none of them applied, because Lamar was trading six old signs for one new one.

"We would like to solve this in some sort of mediated fashion," Mr. Ravenstahl said. "Whether or not that can happen now remains to be seen, specifically now, because a stop-work order has been issued. [Lamar has] chosen to file suit. City Council has chosen to file suit. So I guess I'm less and less optimistic."

Meanwhile, the URA board, at Mr. Ravenstahl's urging, voted to ask the State Ethics Commission to conduct what could become a broad investigation into Mr. Ford.

"It's my hope that we are able to eliminate this black cloud over this issue," Mr. Ravenstahl said.

"My hope would be that any outstanding issue and/or concern or question that would surround him or this situation would be answered, either in the affirmative or the negative."

URA General Counsel Don Kortlandt will write to the commission requesting the investigation.

City Solicitor George Specter said he understands that Mr. Ford "believes that he has not done anything wrong." He added that the lack of disclosure of gifts Mr. Ford has admitted receiving could be a problem.

"I think he'd be in much better shape if he had [disclosed them]," Mr. Specter said. "You're supposed to report gifts ... It's my understanding that he considered the gifts of insignificant value and didn't even think about it."

State Ethics Commission Executive Director John Contino said his agency never confirms or denies the existence of an investigation.

Robert Stephany, the URA's deputy executive director for strategic planning and development, will serve as acting executive director while Mr. Ford is on paid leave pending the results of the investigation.

URA board Chairman Yarone Zober said the agency "is not going to miss a beat" and will be "all systems go."

At the zoning board, Mr. Kamin asked for a 90-day delay in the zoning hearing, saying he feared that council members planned a "trial by ambush ... We need to know what's going to be said, by whom." The board will consider the request.

Council President Doug Shields and members William Peduto, Bruce Kraus, Ricky Burgess and Patrick Dowd filed an appeal to challenge the billboard permit. Lamar sued them in civil court, and motions on that case will be heard today.

Mr. Kamin has subpoenaed information to support his contention that council members may have met in violation of open meetings laws, used their influence to file their zoning appeal after the usual 3 p.m. zoning administration desk closing time and otherwise engaged in a "plot" to nix the billboard permit.

He also raised questions about the impartiality of the city's zoning apparatus. "We have a number of issues regarding the standing, the jurisdiction of this board, the fact that the office of the zoning administrator was opened after hours to allow the appeal to be filed," he said.

Council members did not speak to the media, on advice of legal counsel.

Lamar has sued to stop what it has characterized as abuses by council, and could seek an injunction today.

Lamar has indicated in its civil suit that it has spent $2 million on the sign.