State Sen. Vince Fumo ended seconds of mild speculation last week and announced he would seek reelection in the First District.
The announcement came last Tuesday as Fumo took the stage before a packed house at the South Philadelphia Older Adult Center, Passyunk Avenue and Dickinson Street, accompanied by a flock of prominent Democrats and labor leaders, including Gov. Ed Rendell and U.S. Rep. Bob Brady.
The event — complete with a deejay and a plasma monitor mounted on the front of a podium that alternately flashed "Fumo for Senate" and pictures of the senator — was atypical.
Fumo, 60, has kicked off past campaigns with barely a press release, often because he barely has had a challenger. So far no one has stepped forward to announce a run against him.
Another odd twist to the event was an apparent phony press release faxed last Tuesday morning. The fax arrived on the senator’s letterhead but was sent from a Kinko’s. It stated that Fumo’s announcement had been postponed until later in the afternoon, but that the senator would continue with his original press conference to discuss Citizens Alliance for Better Neighborhoods, PECO and the Delaware River Port Authority.
Fumo reportedly has investigators trying to find out who sent the fax.
The senator and the governor only briefly addressed Citizens Alliance and the multimillion-dollar donations the nonprofit received since 1998.
Fumo helped found Citizens Alliance, which is run from his senatorial office near 12th and Tasker streets. The group is behind many community improvement efforts in South Philly, like street and sidewalk cleaning, the revitalization of Passyunk Avenue and the Christopher Columbus Charter School.
After weeks of secrecy, the senator revealed the names of Citizens benefactors: $17 million from PECO Energy, $10 million from the DRPA and $3.5 million from Penn’s Landing Corp.
Rendell defended the work of Citizens Alliance, saying, "Gosh, I’m outraged that I didn’t think of it first."
During the event, Fumo maintained the organization has helped improve the quality of life in Philadelphia and thanked PECO. Afterwards, he brushed past reporters seeking more answers about why the senator had been so tightlipped about the donors.
"What secrecy? Tell me, were we more secret than the American Red Cross? You tell me that," Fumo said. "We’ll do it again if we have to."
