Ethics Board At Councilwoman's Office
Fox 29 has learned that the Philadelphia Board of Ethics arrived at Donna Reed Miller's office at City Hall on Friday morning.
Miller is an incumbent Democrat who has announced she is not running for reelection.
The Board came to Miller's office bearing subpoenas.
Investigators spent a lot of time looking over copy machines in front and outer offices according to eyewitnesses.
A copier mechanic also was seen going into the office and then closing the door.
The Board of Ethics is a city agency that watches over city and elected officials, and has the power to investigate and levy fines if said officials have acted inappropriately.
It is a civic agency and not a criminal agency.
Fox 29 has learned on Thursday morning, the watchdog group Committee of 70 received two phone calls from a tipster or tipsters, claiming that campaign materials for 8th district council candidate Verna Tyner were being reproduced on the copy machine in Donna Reed Miller's office.
That would be a clear violation of the rule that says campaign activity cannot be carried out in a city office or using city equipment.
The Committee of 70 referred the tipster to the board of ethics whose job it is to enforce rules on political activity.
And one day later, the board was in the councilwoman's office, looking at the copier and at computer hard drives.
There was no comment from investigators and nothing from Reed Miller, except a written statement in which she says she is cooperating with the board as it seeks information.
Fox 29 reached out to Verna Tyner on Friday but had not received a return call.
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