Chips on his shoulder

Also by David Gambacorta

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The state Senate has been tightening up its gambling laws, but they don’t go far enough for Sen. Vince Fumo.

He wants to eliminate any loopholes large enough for a legislator to stick his hand through to grab slot revenues.

The Senate passed a bill last Wednesday banning lawmakers and public officials from earning gaming hall profits. Until then, officials were eligible for a 1-percent ownership in slot operations.

However, the Republican-controlled Senate did not include the officials’ adult children in the ban, much to Fumo’s chagrin.

"This is a back-door way for legislators to benefit from slots," said Gary Tuma, spokesperson for the senator.

Fumo has crafted his own amendment to the bill seeking to bar all members of the General Assembly and their families from having any ownership in slot operations and gaming-related enterprises, including ownership of a distributorship or real estate rented by a slot parlor.

In addition, the legislator contends that Republican efforts to repeal the Gaming Act, which would keep slot machine manufacturers and distributors in state, will cost the area jobs, Tuma said.

"Senator Fumo thinks that in the process of manufacturing and selling machines, there should be jobs for Pennsylvanians," the spokesperson said. "This doesn’t cost any money for machine manufacturers. This will simply require them to contract with Pennsylvania and give jobs to the state."

First District Councilman Frank DiCicco also has a stake in the gambling issue. He introduced a bill designed to keep slot parlors from setting up shop at Penn’s Landing and in certain areas of South Philadelphia.

The Gaming Control Board has final say over where slot parlors will wind up.

In the meantime, Fumo is continuing to push for his concerns, said Tuma.

After Republican Senate leaders thwarted Fumo from bringing his amendment to the floor last Wednesday, the senator was overheard using a derogatory word identified with gays to describe the men.

"He was especially stressed for using that word because it’s not the way he feels toward gays," said Tuma. "He merely lost his temper and apologized for using the word."

DiCicco takes seat on port board

Rendell’s latest appointee to the Delaware River Port Authority of Pennsylvania and New Jersey is someone the citizens of the First Councilmanic District know very well.

Frank DiCicco assumed his five-year term with the DRPA on Sept. 23.

The Port Authority owns and operates four local bridges — the Benjamin Franklin, Walt Whitman, Commodore Barry and Betsy Ross — and its regional transportation lines service southeastern Pennsylvania and South Jersey.

DiCicco will be sworn in Wednesday as a member of the board of commissioners, which is made up of eight representatives from each state.

The day also will serve as DiCicco’s first official meeting with the group, a time he intends to use for "getting my feet wet."

The councilman said he would like to get a better understanding of the board, its members and their agendas before he begins putting his own ideas and recommendations on the table.

"Shooting from the hip, I’d like to look into their ability to aid economic development and riverfront communities on both sides of the Delaware," DiCicco said.

The three-term councilman had been lobbying for a position on the board since Rendell was elected in 2002, citing the DRPA’s need for an elected official with a firm handle on local issues.

DiCicco acknowledged that his new position will afford him an opportunity to work with fellow board member and sometime-rival John Dougherty, head of electricians union Local 98.

"It’s an interesting mix. John and I have had our issues in the past, but we have shared interests in the communities down here," he said. "Hopefully, we’ll be able to work together on some things."

Doc watch

It was supposed to have been a small, quiet affair.

The Sept. 13 fundraiser for the Local 98 business manager, organized by a group of lifelong friends who call themselves Draft John Dougherty ’07 (DJD07), was mainly aimed at a small group of local ward leaders and city politicians.

Instead, more than 2,000 supporters showed up and squeezed into McFadden’s in Citizens Bank Park, with many waiting outside in long lines for more than a half-hour.

State Rep. Bill Keller and comedian Joe Conklin were among the notables at the event, which raised more than $75,000, according to DJD07 chairman Mike Neill.

"The whole idea is that we’re trying to persuade John to run for mayor by showing him how much support he has here," he said. "This was a great start."

Another fundraiser will be planned for a different part of the city around New Year’s Day, Neill said.

Although flattered by the remarkable turnout, Dougherty declined to acknowledge his long-rumored mayoral aspirations during a brief speech at the fundraiser, supporters said.

The union leader’s primary concern is the health of his wife, Cecelia, who suffers from arteriovenous malformation, a condition that affects blood vessels around the brain.

"Her health is the absolute, overriding factor in John’s decision to run or not," said Frank Keel, a spokesperson for Local 98.

Respected by community residents and politicians alike — and perhaps best known for his five-year feud with state Sen. Vince Fumo — Dougherty would make a formidable candidate if he were to run, Keel said.

In addition to his union credentials, Dougherty is also the treasurer for the Democratic City Committee, a board member of the Delaware River Port Authority and the president of the Pennsport Civic Association.

New player in Point Breeze

Employees at Diversified Community Services soon will have a new place to call home: Point Breeze.

The nonprofit organization will build its new headquarters at 22nd and Tasker with funding from the Point Breeze Revitalization Program.

Diversified acquired $800,000 from the program with the help of state Rep. Harold James.

Fumo, Mayor John Street and City Council President Anna Verna also have been influential in helping the organization obtain the funds.

"This will merge all of their programs right in the heart of the community," said James. "It will create more enthusiasm and more business for the Point Breeze area."

DCS, which produced the matching funds necessary for the building’s renovation, fit the project’s criteria of providing jobs and economic development for the community, James noted.

The existing building, previously an old furniture store, will be gutted and renovated. Rehabilitation efforts are tentatively scheduled for April, said Cheryl Weiss, executive director of DCS. The anticipated completion date is April 2006.

The building will provide ample space for the organization’s activities and other community events, Weiss said.

"It will make a major impact along Point Breeze Avenue, which we hope will spark future development in the neighborhood," she said.