Ethics means more than awarding contracts on merit, avoiding conflicts of interest and increasing public access to the governmental process. It also means conducting ethical campaigns. That's never been easy in the rough-and-tumble of Philadelphia politics. It's harder than ever with the explosion of "new media": the Internet with its e-mail blasts and blogs, precision-targeted phone campaigns and micro-marketed cable TV ads. Just as Philadelphians can no longer tolerate the atmosphere of corruption that has so tarnished our city's image, we no longer will stand for campaigning that hurts our community and makes it difficult to work together after the election. Even with an entirely new set of candidates, the damage from the 2003 election still hasn't been repaired completely.
…show more content…
The campaign is a true test of principles and leadership that tells voters better than position papers how the winner will govern. We are not nave about how strongly the candidates and their supporters feel about the election. Philadelphia needs a hard-hitting debate on the critical issues that face us in the next four years. But if we get campaigns that limit their focus to personalities or engage in serial character assassination, we'll have been badly cheated. Philadelphia has enough problems waiting for the next mayor. Healing the wounds inflicted through unethical campaigns shouldn't be one of
The campaign is a true test of principles and leadership that tells voters better than position papers how the winner will govern. We are not nave about how strongly the candidates and their supporters feel about the election. Philadelphia needs a hard-hitting debate on the critical issues that face us in the next four years. But if we get campaigns that limit their focus to personalities or engage in serial character assassination, we'll have been badly cheated. Philadelphia has enough problems waiting for the next mayor. Healing the wounds inflicted through unethical campaigns shouldn't be one of