Philly Councilwoman Drops Plans for Fundraiser to Pay Debts

Including fines imposed by ethics board

A Philadelphia city councilwoman who sought approval to hold a fund-raising event for her debts and expenses has given up the plan after the city Board of Ethics expressed strong misgivings.

One of the costs Blondell Reynolds Brown had wanted to defray: fines previously imposed on her by that same Ethics Board.

"The prospect of an important, high-level city official soliciting and accepting unlimited gifts of money through a fund-raising event to pay personal debts is of great concern to us," the board said in an opinion posted on its website, not mentioning her name or identifying her office.