Fumo, D-Casino, To Be Indicted?
the heart of the case appears to be whether Fumo illegally exploited a multimillion-dollar South Philadelphia charity to fund his personal and political agenda – using it, as one person close to the case put it, “as his personal piggy bank.”
The charity, Citizens’ Alliance for Better Neighborhoods, is funded mainly by public dollars and Peco Energy donations – most of the money won with Fumo’s influence or help.
This has ramifications for politics in a city noted for an entrenched, powerful political machine. For instance, if Fumo is forced to step down, what does that mean for the much thwarted anti-casino movement? What does that mean for politicians tied to these kingmakers, especially in the context of an election (ahem Bob Brady ahem)? What does it mean for the system of patronage and favoritism? And what openings do progressives and outsiders have to take advantage of the current situation?
We’re lucky here in Philadelphia: there are a lot of politically active people in this city. Progressives like Anne Dicker, who came in second in the race for Marie Lederer’s seat, ahead of the candidate endorsed by the state Democratic Party. People like Vern Anastasio, people like Young Philly Politics, Chris Bowers and mydd.com. I think it was someone on daily kos who pointed out how easy it can be to change local politics from the ground up. I’m paraphrasing: Most Democratic clubs are moribund, staffed by people who are old and complacent. Really, all you have to do is show up with all your progressive friends en masse, and provided you’re all registered Democrats, you call for votes and take the majority. It was a little more complicated than that of course, and in particular neglects the role of powerful machines. Here in Philly though, more and more, that seems what people are doing: stepping up to push out the moribund and complacent.
It seems to me that right now, there’s a little wear and tear on that old machine, creaking along since the 1800s, an outdated coal belching locomotive in the day of bullet trains. And maybe, just maybe, there’s a chance for us to elect ourselves a new engineer. And a new brakeman. And a new fireman. And a whole new slew of conductors.
