A watchdog with teeth

Several years ago, Philadelphia was so mired in a culture of quid pro quo that it was barely governable. A federal investigation into former Mayor John Street's administration yielded 24 convictions, but it did not eradicate the culture. Although Mayor Nutter has done much to clean it up, the next mayor cannot relent.

One key sign of a mayoral candidate's commitment to honest government is support for a more powerful, independent government watchdog through a permanent city Inspector General's Office. A 2013 proposal to accomplish that was dropped like a cash-stuffed envelope when it went before City Council. That's partly because an inspector general enshrined in the City Charter could investigate Council.

Since 2008, the Inspector General's Office has saved taxpayers more than $50 million and forced more than 200 badly behaving city employees off the payroll. But the office operates under an executive order and therefore could be dropped by a future mayor.

In response to an Editorial Board questionnaire, all the mayoral candidates say they support making the Inspector General's Office permanent (except Milton Street, who did not participate). However, former District Attorney Lynne Abraham hedges on changing the City Charter, saying that question "should be evaluated by a commission to consider the charter as a whole." Her full answer, and those of the other candidates, are featured on today's op-ed page.

Former Judge Nelson Diaz advocates the additional step of combining the functions of the city's inspector general, chief integrity officer, and Ethics Board into a sort of ethics czar position. The plan is worth considering as long as the watchdogs remain independent.

As a former city councilman, Jim Kenney is the only candidate who had a chance to advance the cause directly. He deserves credit for sponsoring a bill to include the inspector general in the charter, though he could not persuade his colleagues to pass it.

Marketing consultant Melissa Murray Bailey, the lone Republican in the field, proposes a welcome extension of the inspector general's reach to other city offices, including those of the district attorney, city controller, sheriff, and register of wills; former Philadelphia Gas Works executive Doug Oliver also suggests an expansion of the office's purview. These agencies have long operated without sufficient independent oversight.

State Sen. Anthony Williams and Diaz offer an additional ethics proposal, saying they would prohibit officials from taking outside jobs with city contractors. It's an idea that is overdue as well as a jab at Kenney, who worked for an architectural firm that did work for the city while on Council.

Nutter has set Philadelphia on a course toward government that puts the city's interests before special interests. Now voters have to hold the candidates responsible for continuing the journey.