Vince Fumo

DENVER--With longtime state Sen. Vince Fumo (D-Philadelphia) set to retire from Harrisburg to fight corruption charges, the Democrats need a new party chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Fumo brought billions in state funding to Philadelphia as the ranking Democrat on the committee, but chatter inside and outside the Capitol makes it seem like the position will go to someone from elsewhere in the state.

"I hope not," state Rep. Dwight Evans (D-Philadeplhia), chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, told PolitickerPa.com today.

Evans is not the first Philadelphia politician to lament the possibility that control over the money could leave the state's biggest city, nor will he be the last.

"Obvioulsy, I would love for it to be a Philadelphian," Evans said.

Still, he was hesitant to engage in speculation about who might take Fumo's place, for fear of angering his colleagues in the upper chamber.

"It's really an internal battle in the Senate," Evans said.

DENVER--For months, former Philadelphia City Controller Joe Vignola was planning to run as an independent for the 1st Senatorial District seat long held by retiring and indicted state Sen. Vince Fumo (D-Philadelphia).

But when Fumo dropped out of what became a tightly-contested April primary that was taken by young Center City lawyer Larry Farnese, Vignola, a lifelong Democrat, decided not to run because it would cause trouble for the party's nominee.

With Democrats overwhelmingly outnumbering Republicans in the district, Republican Jack Morley is not expected to fare well in November.

During a cocktail party here Monday evening for the state delegation, Vignola expressed confidence in Farnese, but also some slight doubts.

"It's going to be a hard act to follow," Vignola said of replacing Fumo, who has held the seat for 30 years but faces a federal corruption trial in September. "The important thing is he has the intellectual ability to learn."

Democratic state Senate candidate Larry Farnese on Monday lambasted the state Supreme Court's recent ruling upholding two casinos' rights to contentious waterfront locations in Philadelphia.

In a statement, Farnese, who is running to replace longtime state Sen. Vince Fumo (D-Philadelphia) in the 1st Senatorial District,  said the court "has given away the store."

"While I recognize the benefits of properly developed casinos, I have long been a proponent of re-siting," Farnese said. "When I become your State Senator, I will continue to work to ensure that the voice of the neighborhoods most affected will continue to be heard."

Farnese faces Republican Jack Morley in November. 

Despite Paul Kanjorski's strong rapping performance Lou Barletta again has a good week with his race moving to a toss-up.  Find out who joins Barletta as a winner on this week's Winner's & Losers list.

Another computer technician from state Sen. Vince Fumo's office pled guilty to obstruction Tuesday, making him the second technician from Fumo's office who will testify against the Philadelphia Democrat when his trial begins next month.

Mark Eister acknowledged in court that he took part in a conspiracy to obstruct FBI and IRS investigations into Fumo, The Inquirer reports. Fumo, accused of misusing taxpayer and chairty money for personal and political reasons, has denied any wrongdoing, but is not seeking reelection because of the looming trial.

Democrat Larry Farnese is running against Republican Jack Morley to replace the 30-year incumbent in the 1st Senatorial District. 

In only 3 weeks, on September 8th state Senator Vince Fumo’s trial is scheduled to start. The closer the trial gets, the more bad news Fumo seems to receive. Mark Eister, a Camp Hill computer technician who worked for Fumo is expected to plead guilty on conspiracy to obstruct justice during the investigation of Fumo. This will make the third plea in as many weeks in the Fumo investigation.

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.
 

Gov. Ed Rendell, U.S. Reps Bob Brady and Chaka Fattah, and even former 76ers coach Larry Brown are just some of the big names on state Sen. Vince Fumo's (D-Philadelphia) list of potential witnesses for his looming federal corruption trial.

The witness list, reported by The Inquirer and The Daily News, names 267 people who could potentially be called to testify at Fumo's trial, which now starts in less than a month.

Also headlining the defense witness list are Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll, and Philadelphia City Council President Anna Verna.

Fumo, the 30-year incumbent and Philadelphia political icon, is accused of improperly using Senate money and money from a charity he oversaw for personal and political gain. He has denied any wrongdoing, but decided not to run for reelection in the spring because of the indictment against.

Center City attorney Larry Farnese won a three-way Democratic primary battle to replace Fumo in April. He faces underdog Republican Jack Morley in November, and is widely expected to be the next state Senator in the 1st Senatorial District.