Pittsburgh City Council put the brakes on two mayoral appointments to boards Tuesday, despite the fact that both appointees are council members.

Council President Doug Shields argued that council should get a legal opinion on Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's appointment of Councilwoman Darlene Harris to the Stadium Authority board, and his nomination of Councilman Patrick Dowd to the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority board.

Mr. Shields said Ms. Harris already serves on the Sports & Exhibition Authority board, and the city charter bars a council member from serving on two such panels. He said the city Web site indicates that the council president, not the mayor, picks the seventh member of the water authority board, and he would not pick Mr. Dowd.

In defense of Ms. Harris' nomination, the administration countered that there is recent precedent for a member serving on two boards. They cited a charter provision giving the mayor all nomination powers -- sometimes subject to council confirmation -- in defense of their appointment of Mr. Dowd to the water authority.

Council acknowledged the nomination of Councilman Ricky Burgess to the Pittsburgh Housing Authority board. That seat does not require a council vote.

Mr. Ravenstahl also introduced the board nominations of Dan Keller to the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority, Amanda Rubio to the Commission on Human Relations, Sean Finch to the Equal Opportunity Review Commission, Peter Czuczman to the Planning Commission, and Maggie Sullivan, Joseph Day and Aaron Bibro to the Propel Pittsburgh Commission. He also formally introduced the nomination, announced Tuesday, of Sergei Matveiev as chief of the Bureau of Building Inspection. All of those picks require council approval, which could come next week.