PITTSBURGH — Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said he will appear before the city's Ethics Hearing Board to answer questions about his appearance at a charity golf outing as a guest of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center last month.

Ravenstahl said he will argue that his appearance at the Mario Lemieux Celebrity Invitational at the exclusive Laurel Valley Golf Club in Ligonier did not violate the city's charter.

UPMC, which has multimillion-dollar contracts with the city, paid $27,000 for the mayor and two hospital officials to attend the golf outing that benefits the Mario Lemieux Foundation for cancer and other medical research.