Fumo

State Sen. Vincent J. Fumo's plans to build a dream house in Washington Square West moved a step closer to reality yesterday when Commonwealth Court gave the Philadelphia Democrat a pair of legal victories. A three-judge panel upheld lower court rulings that said that Fumo's contract with the city Redevelopment Authority to purchase authority land was valid and that subsequent attempts by the authority to impose deed restrictions were improper. The court also said Common Pleas Court Judge Nicholas M. D'Alessandro had not exceeded his authority in a previous ruling on the case.

Fighting a headwind of hostility from their own witnesses, the prosecution in the corruption trial of State Sen. Vincent J. Fumo called Fumo loyalists to the stand yesterday in a bid to prove that Fumo had them run personal and political errands. One former Fumo aide, Gina Novelli, responded with "I don't remember" or a variant more than 30 times, but did acknowledge that her duties included paying the senator's personal bills and writing checks from his campaign committee. Another witness, state Senate computer technician Michael Podgorski, said he had handled a number of personal tasks for Fumo, such as looking into a GPS system for the senator's boat and helping the senator's daughter fix her computer.

While Mayor Street's stadium negotiating team works on a way to pay for a ballpark at his chosen site at 12th and Vine streets, state Sen. Vince Fumo has come up with a price tag: $685 million. The figure is $125 million more than the Street administration's estimate just a month ago, and the Philadelphia Democrat concludes it's $370 million more than it would cost to build in South Philadelphia. The number, a Fumo statement noted, is more than the construction cost of both new stadiums in Pittsburgh.

Scratch state Sen. Vincent J. Fumo's name from the list of Democrats who might enter the 1987 mayoral primary. Fumo, who began floating his name as a possible candidate eight months ago, said yesterday he's decided "to be a state senator, and have some time to spend with my kids and get their college educations squared away. " Fumo, 43, has a son, Vincent, 17, and daughter, Nicole, 14. All along, Fumo had peddled himself as a reluctant mayoral candidate, repeatedly saying he wasn't sure he wanted the job. At the same time, he said he was unhappy with the job Mayor Goode was doing, which had led him to consider entering a primary opposite Goode.

State Sen. Vincent J. Fumo said yesterday that he and Gov. Rendell, while Rendell was Philadelphia's mayor, directed spending from a controversial $40 million fund financed with commuter bridge and PATCO High-Speed Line charges. "That fund was administered by me and Ed Rendell," Fumo said yesterday during a radio interview. "In fact, I couldn't give 10 cents out of that fund, or even recommend it, unless Ed signed off on it. " Rendell later disputed Fumo's remarks. The governor said he had a much more limited say in how money was handed out. "I could access the fund for projects that I thought were worthwhile, but I didn't have the power to sign off on them," he said.

Former State Sen. Vincent J. Fumo, facing a potentially long prison sentence, popped The Big Question over the July Fourth holiday weekend to dress-shop proprietor Carolyn Zinni - and she said yes. A source familiar with the engagement said Zinni had been wanting to get engaged for some time as a sign of her commitment to Fumo, who is scheduled to be sentenced July 14 in his federal corruption case. "She loves this guy so much," said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Federal authorities are exploring whether State Sen. Vincent J. Fumo, to help pay for renovations at his mansion, directed a nonprofit to purchase a warehouse owned by the contractor, sources said. Fumo's attorney declined to comment yesterday. A lawyer for the nonprofit defended the warehouse purchase, saying the group paid "fair market value" after obtaining an appraisal. The FBI's new line of inquiry in its sprawling, three-year Fumo investigation began after agents raided electrical contractor Donald "Gus" Dougherty's South Philadelphia home as part of a separate tax-fraud case.

The ongoing tale of state Sen. Vincent J. Fumo's "house and garden" in Center City has taken a twist in the senator's favor. Commonwealth Court yesterday issued a split decision, saying Fumo can build what he wants on a two-lot Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority parcel. At least he can, once he rehabilitates a vacant building there and builds a landscaped garden. Fumo's lawyer in this long, expensive affair said Fumo will build the garden, but still plans to scrap both it and the building to put up his dream house, covering both lots.

He may be behind bars, but former state Sen. Vince Fumo is still casting a long shadow over Philly policy debates. As City Council contemplates how to provide protection for homeowners whose tax bills could soar under Mayor Nutter's proposed property-tax plan, a tax break passed by Fumo in 1988 may prove crucial. The bill Fumo ushered through the Legislature 24 years ago allows the city to give tax relief to longtime residents of gentrifying neighborhoods. But to use the power, Council had to decide how much relief to grant and which sections of the city would be eligible — and it never could reach agreement.

State Sen. Vince Fumo, a gun owner and enthusiast, is chairing a special study of firearms aimed at determining which, if any, guns should be banned in Pennsylvania. But selection of the South Philadelphia Democrat by a bipartisan 15-member committee sets off suspicion of a whitewash. "It makes me very skeptical," said Sen. Allyson Schwartz, D-Philadelphia, who supports gun bans. "I certainly hope he takes it seriously. " Fumo is a life member of the National Rifle Association.