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Sen. Vincent J. Fumo is not running again.
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Fumo gets name off primary ballot just in time
State Sen. Vincent J. Fumo obtained a court order yesterday removing his name from next month's Democratic primary ballot just as the ballots were about to go to the printers.
Fumo missed a 5 p.m. Thursday administrative deadline to get Commonwealth Court's permission to take his name off the April 22 ballot, but city election officials delayed plans to start printing them yesterday morning to give the senator's lawyers time to go to court.
The city received the order at 12:30 p.m., said Bob Lee, voting registration administrator at the City Commissioners Office.
"His name won't appear in the data base; it won't appear anywhere," Lee said.
Had Fumo waited any longer, his name would have been put at the top of the ballot and voting machines would have been programed to count votes for him.
An order obtained later would have forced election officials to put stickers over his name, although votes for him would still be counted.
Three other candidates for the Democratic nomination - Larry Farnese, John Dougherty and Anne Dicker - will appear on the ballot in that order.
Fumo, who has represented the First District for 30 years, announced on March 12 that he would not run for reelection because of the stress associated with his scheduled trial on a 139-count federal indictment charging that he abused his position and his staff to support a lavish lifestyle.
Contact staff writer Joseph Gambardello at 215-845-2153 or jgambardello@phillynews.com.
Contact staff writer Joseph Gambardello at 215-845-2153 or jgambardello@phillynews.com.
