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The Philadelphia Gas Commission is seeking “a complete accounting of gifts, tickets, meals, travel, lodging, and entertainment” given by outside groups to Philadelphia Gas Works CEO Seth Shapiro, according to a memo obtained by WHYY News.
The memo, dated Oct. 23, was sent to PGW less than three weeks afterWHYY News reported that Shapiro disclosed dozens of trips, including to Phillies’ spring training in Florida, but didn’t include the value on his state ethics forms for 2022 through 2025. State law requires Shapiro to specify the value of each free trip he accepts.
The five-member commission, which oversees the finances of the city-owned utility, is seeking more information than what is required by thestate Ethics Act. The memo asks PGW to provide details of trips and gifts including their value from Jan. 1, 2022, when Shapiro began his role as the utility’s CEO, to the present. The commission requested a complete list of events Shapiro “attended in his capacity as CEO … and other PGW employees in attendance.”
It also asks PGW to identify whether any of the organizations that provided gifts and trips do business with the utility and to detail “Shapiro’s involvement in related decisions.”
No one from the commission would comment on the memo or the information they are seeking.
Shapiro did not respond to a request for comment, nor did utility officials.
WHYY News previously reported that the Phillies paid for Shapiro to attend spring training in Clearwater, Florida, for at least four consecutive years between 2022 and 2025, according to public filings.
PGW is a major advertiser on Phillies broadcasts and stadium signage and digital displays — spending that is approved by the CEO. The nonprofit gas utility spent more than$1 million to advertise with the Philliesfrom October 2022 to November 2024, public records show. As a municipally owned gas utility, Philadelphia’s 500,000 residential and commercial customers provide the vast majority of the utility’s revenue.
In December 2025,PGW raised its rates 6.6%.
In addition to the Phillies spring training events, Shapiro was gifted hospitality from the health insurerIndependence Blue Cross, the pipeline conglomerateEnbridge, the energy company61 Commodities, the pipeline operatorWilliams Companies and Tioga LNG.
But WHYY News’ requests for details of those gifts, and in several cases their value, went unanswered by PGW.
The commission is also seeking “copies of original and amended financial disclosure statements,” according to the memo. Shapiro amended his 2025 statement of financial interest after WHYY News contacted the state Ethics Commission, which requested the amended form.
Theutility’s internal ethics code prohibits employees from accepting any gifts “where a reasonable person would believe that the offer is related to or would influence or affect” the employee’s “PGW-related duties and responsibilities.”
For gifts valued above $250, the employee must obtain written permission from the company’s ethics officer.
The commission’s Oct. 23 memo also asks “whether guidance was requested from PGW Ethics Counsel before accepting these benefits.”
Additionally, it asks for “information regarding any internal reviews conducted by PGW and any resulting findings or corrective actions, if any.”
When contacted by phone, Bill Rubin, chief of staff for City Controller Christy Brady, who’s the commission’s current chair, said the controller could not provide comment at this time, citing a “personnel issue.”
The Philadelphia Facilities Management Corporation is the nonprofit board that has a contract with the city to manage PGW. Leigh Whitaker, who is the corporation’s chair and vice president for government and community affairs at the University of Pennsylvania, did not respond to a request for comment. The mayor’s office also did not return a request for comment.
The memo requests that PGW provide the information by Nov. 13.
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