John Dougherty

William Titelman, who is caught going a little crazy in a Kentucky US Senate web ad has doled out thousand in contributions over the three years including spreading the love to some Pennsylvania politicians.  Along with his maxing out to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, Titelman has also made contribution in the last three years of $500 to Jason Altmire (PA-4) in January of 2007, then $500 each to Altmire, Joe Sestak (PA-7), Chris Carney (PA-10) and Lois Murphy (PA-6) in June of 2006.  Titelman had also contributed $2,100 to Bob Casey in both March and June of 2005 and another $1,000 contribution to Allyson Schwartz (PA-13) in May of 2005. 

Titelman also spread the love to some state candidates.  In 2008 he donated $500 to John Dougherty for Senate.  In 2006 he donated $1,000 to Dwight Evans, and $250 to Senator Chip Brightbill and a $25,000 gift for Ed Rendell.  In 2005 he donated another $5,478.39 to Rendell.    

Philadelphia media relations guru Frank Keel is reportedly considering a stint in City Hall.

Keel, a communications consultant best known for his work as a spokesman for powerful electricians union leader John Dougherty, could soon end up as a spokesman for embattled City Councilman Jack Kelly, the Daily News reports.

There is no indication that Keel would work for Kelly's office full time, nor that he would stop working for Dougherty. Kelly, whose chief of staff and campaign treasurer were indicted last month for an alleged scheme to get favors out of the councilman's office, is worried about political fallout, and wants the city to foot the bill for a $25,000 media consultant.

Kelly said he wanted Keel, the Daily News reports, but City Council President Anna Verna said Kelly had to open the job contract to bids. Keel, who worked on Kelly's recent campaign, plans to enter a bid.

PHILADELPHIA - On the basement wall of Vince Fumo's district office in South Philadelphia hangs a painting that could end up telling his story better than he would hope. It's the famous "Sword of Damocles" piece, depicting the GrState Sen. Vince Fumo: Official Photoeek legend who switched places with a king only to discover a sharp sword looming ominously above him.

"There's always a sword hanging just above you," Fumo said to PolitickerPA.com recently, with a smirk. "The more powerful you get, the bigger a target you become."

The irony is hardly lost on Fumo, the 30-year Democratic state senator and Philadelphia political icon. A massive federal corruption trial, "a cloud" in his words, looms above.

This morning, in James A. Bryne Federal Courthouse here, the lawyers will be picking a jury to determine the fate of Fumo, who faces 139 charges of charges of corruption, conspiracy and obstruction of justice. In an indictment that reads like a textbook on political largesse, Fumo is accused of defrauding taxpayers, a charity and a museum out of millions of dollars he used for personal and political gain, and then seeking to cover it up when authorities started poking around. Fumo has denied any wrongdoing, and in local political circles, what begins today is nothing less than the trial of a lifetime.

It also signals a changing of the guard, with Fumo already having said goodbye to the Senate in an emotional speech in July. Soon, the powerful 1st District, which stretches from the airport to the Delaware River waterfront and includes Center City, will have a new man in Harrisburg.
But it is a sign of senator's continuing power that his almost-certain successor, Democratic nominee Larry Farnese, owes much of his ascension to Fumo's support.

With state Sen. Vince Fumo (D-Philadelphia) scheduled to go on trial in less than a month, the Daily News' political gossip page ponders who might take his place as ranking Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Fumo, the 30-year incumbent who dropped his re-election bid in the spring because of the federal indictment he has to fight this fall, is renowned for the billions of dollars he has brought back to Philadelphia from his perch atop Appropriations.

The contenders to take over the Senate cash register? The Daily News says Fumo is backing state Sen. Sean Logan (D-Allegheny) over some local colleagues.  It was Logan who helped raise significant sums of money for Fumo's preferred replacement, and the eventual primary victor, Larry Farnese.

One of the potential replacements the Daily News says Fumo is spurning in favor of Logan, state Sen. Anthony Williams (D-Philadelphia), supported John Dougherty, Fumo's bitter political foe, in the primary race against Farnese.
 

Almost three months after a stunning loss in his bid for state Senate, powerful Philadelphia union leader John Dougherty suffered another political setback this week when a federal court struck down attempts by his union PAC to keep its spending secret.

The political wing of Dougherty's IBEW Local 98 had hoped to keep details of its $2.5 million spending from last year secret, and has been warring with the city's Ethics Board over racially-charged flyers distributed last year during last year's mayoral primary, in which Dougherty supported millionaire Tom Knox over eventual winner Michael Nutter.

Dougherty's electricians' union had argued that laws requiring disclosure of its spending violated the group's constitution rights. But Chief Judge Harvey Bartle III shot down that assertion as "patently inconsistent" with previous federal rulings on requirements for political action committee reporting, The Daily News reports.

The union is considering its appeal options. 

Senate District 1 Democratic candidate Larry Farnese has apparently gone more than $476k in debt during his primary against John Dougherty.  Farnese’s campaign spent an estimated $780k total during the primary of which more than half is in debt.  All for a $73,000/yr job.  My guess is Farnese is not a big listener of the Dave Ramsey show. 

The guilty plea by a friend was the latest political setback for powerful union leader John Dougherty, who has seen the influence of his union wane and suffered his own loss in a run for state Senate last month.

The good news for Dougherty: There's no longer any need for him to testify and possibly open himself up for future prosecution.

Whether he recovers politically from his recent loss and his friend's legal troubles remains to be seen.