Transparency is essential for city officials dealing with potential conflicts of interest | Editorial

For most Philadelphians, the six-figure salaries allotted to elected officials and senior staff at the mayor’s office would more than suffice. With a municipal median household income of $56,000, most residents would double their compensation, and have the assurance of additional income in their retirement from a generous pension.

But that hasn’t stopped some officials from wanting more by holding other jobs. A practice that while not illegal, continues to, at best, risk the appearance of a conflict of interest, and which can easily lead to abuse of trust.

As recently detailed by Inquirer reporters Anna Orso and Ryan W. Briggs, former fire commissioner and current Managing Director Adam Thiel moonlights as a well-paid consultant. During his last two years as commissioner, he earned almost $500,000 from two firms he cofounded.

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Thiel insists the extra work hasn’t compromised his commitment to the job nor violated ethics guidelines, and colleagues attest to his drive and commitment to the city — which includes being the point person on Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s efforts to end the drug market in Kensington.

However, during an Inquirer interview, Thiel refused to disclose his consulting clients, and websites for his consulting businesses are either nonexistent or offer limited information. This makes it difficult to do anything but take his word that his judgment is unimpeachable. While there are understandable confidentiality concerns related to private clients, public servants should ideally not put themselves in a position of divided loyalties.

While Thiel has not faced specific accusations of wrongdoing, the practice of holding a second job has gotten many local officials into hot water. Undersheriff Tariq El-Shabazz was fined by the Board of Ethics after Inquirer reporting revealed that he held a second job. Former 6th District City Councilmember Bobby Henon is currently serving a three-and-a-half-year sentence in federal prison after a jury found that his second job, a no-show gig at his former union, amounted to a bribe.

In some legislatures and smaller towns, lawmakers and top officials are paid symbolic wages and expected to do the job in their spare time. New Hampshire state legislators are famously paid just $100 per year, for example. But in Philadelphia, senior officials are well compensated. Council members make nearly $150,000 per year, staffers in the mayor’s office make an average of $118,500, and Thiel himself makes $310,000, which is more than Mayor Parker.

It is not unreasonable to expect public servants to be able to subsist on these salaries. It is also not strictly a Philadelphia problem. The Pennsylvania General Assembly is the third-highest-paid legislature in the country, yet lawmakers are allowed to have other jobs and are not required to disclose what they do or how much they are paid.

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While Harrisburg has little incentive to change, many Council candidates offered support for restrictions on second jobs last year. Unlike in years past, when holding additional employment was more common, fewer members perform outside work today, which should make passing such reforms easier.

If so, the city would not be alone in restricting outside work. New York, Los Angeles, and San Diego all ban outside work for councilmembers, and Chicago is considering its own restrictions.

Until Philadelphia creates firm and realistic rules for outside employment, City Hall remains vulnerable to questions about potential conflicts of interest.