B 181st Year, No. 45 8 Regional Edition Wednesday, July 15 ...clip.pdf · Atearful Fumo, his voice...

PENNSYLVANIA

Gerlach to runfor governorHe will give up seatin Congress for whatcould be a crowdedGOP race. B1.

INDEXComics ………… D10Editorials ………… A16Express / Lotteries E8Marketplace ………… C6Movies ……………… D6Obituaries ……… B7SideShow ……… D5Television …………… D9

By Craig R. McCoy and Emilie LounsberryINQUIRER STAFF WRITERS

Former State Sen. Vincent J. Fumo was sentencedyesterday to four years and seven months in prison— a punishment that prosecutors denounced as toolenient, given his sweeping corruption conviction.

As Fumo accepted hugs from well-wishers, hisdefense team was low-key about what was clearly agood day for their client, all things considered. Attor-ney Peter Goldberger later summed matters up dri-ly, saying, “It could havebeen worse.”

Prosecutors said they wereconsidering appealing thesentence by U.S. DistrictJudge Ronald L. Buckwalter,though veteran lawyers saidthe odds of their succeedingwere long.

“The government is disap-pointed by the sentence,”said Acting U.S. AttorneyMichael L. Levy. “We don’tthink it sends a strongenough message.”

Prosecutors had urged Buckwalter to send Fumoaway for at least 15 years. In an emotionally rawsentencing hearing yesterday, prosecutors portrayedthe former Democratic power as a hardened crimi-nal, “drunk with power,” who defrauded the stateSenate and a pair of nonprofit organizations for hisown political and personal benefit.

A tearful Fumo, his voice cracking and wavering,begged Buckwalter for “compassion and mercy” be-fore the judge delivered his sentence.

But while the 66-year-old Fumo told the judge hestood before him “a convicted felon” and was deeplysorry for “some errors in judgment,” he continued toinsist he had done nothing criminal.

“I swear to God, Your Honor, I never intended toSee FUMO on A12

I N S I D E

APRIL SAUL / Staff PhotographerAt his Brookhaven home, Tom Chism holds the emptybox where he used to keep his World Series ring.

By Jacqueline L. UrgoINQUIRER STAFF WRITER

HAMMONTON, N.J. —With a deep understanding oftough times — an innatesense that comes easily forfarmers who are at the mercyof uncontrollable forces likeweather and market volatilityfor their livelihoods — blue-berry farmers Art Gallettaand Denny Doyle were quickto join a plan to feed hun-dreds of New Jersey’s needy.

Galletta and his family ownwhat growers tout as one ofthe world’s largest high-bushblueberry farms. Doyle is con-sidered a farming guru be-cause of his innovations inmarketing and product han-dling. Together they gatheredseveral dozen farmers fromthroughout Atlantic and Bur-lington Counties to donate3,500 pints of blueberries yes-terday to Trenton-based

Farmers Against Hunger.“It’s the right thing to do,”

Doyle said. “The thought ofchildren going to bed hungrybothers me very much be-

See FARMERS on A6

YONG KIM / Staff PhotographerHis face a reflection of the stress he has been under, former State Sen. Vincent J. Fumo leaving the federalcourthouse in Center City yesterday. He’d asked the judge for “compassion and mercy” during his sentencing.

© 2009 Philadelphia Newspapers L.L.C. Call 215-665-1234 or 1-800-222-2765 for home delivery.

By Jeff GammageINQUIRER STAFF WRITER

He walked into the courtroompushing the wheelchair of a po-litical ally.

He held his weeping 19-year-old daughter after she beggedthe judge not to send him awayfor too long.

And he left, eight hours later,as a man headed for prison,though not for nearly as long as

many had expected.The sentencing of former

State Sen. Vincent J. Fumoturned into courtroom dramayesterday, a teary productionsustained by hope, exaspera-tion, anxiety, and disappoint-ment.

“I’ve made mistakes in mylife,” Fumo told the judge, hisvoice small and broken. “I’velived with this torment, day in

and day out, for years now.What’s going to happen? Whereare they going to go next?What’s going to happen? What’sgoing to happen?”

A short while later, U.S. Dis-trict Court Judge Ronald J.Buckwalter answered that ques-tion. Fumo, among the mostpowerful politicians in Pennsyl-vania before his corruption con-

See SCENE on A13

High drama in a packed courtroom

By Anthony R. WoodINQUIRER STAFF WRITER

Tom Chism had what baseballpeople like to call “a cup of cof-fee” in the big leagues, and itwas hardly a double-shot cap-puccino.

He paid a decade of dues inthe minors as a player andcoach, and his major-league ca-reer spanned all of three at-

bats. He finished 4,191 hits be-hind Ty Cobb, yet he realized adream that Cobb never did inhis Hall of Fame career: He gota World Series ring.

“That was my biggest rewardas a player,” said Chism, whowas working for the BaltimoreOrioles’ organization in 1983,the year the O’s beat the Phil-lies in the World Series. For his

years of loyal service, the teamawarded him a 19-diamondWorld Series ring, engravedwith his name.

For 25 years, the ring was thepride of his professional life,the tangible evidence that hehad lived a dream.

Then came the nightmare: InNovember, the ring was stolen.

See RING on A4

Ex-player haunted by a stealTom Chism’s Series ring was swiped. “I’ve been devastated.”

The Philadelphia Inquirer$1 in some locations outside the metro area

By Sandy BauersINQUIRER STAFF WRITER

In a bid to increase bicy-cling in Philadelphia, thecity plans to designate onelane along two major streets— Spruce and Pine — forbikes, leavingthe other lanefor all vehiculartraffic.

City workerswill paint newlines along bothstreets, from riv-er to river, offi-cials said, withthe pilot projectbeginning around Labor Day.

Philadelphia currently has32 miles of multiuse trails(no cars) and 205 miles ofbicycle lanes — but onlyfour miles of dedicatedlanes in Center City.

Cyclists can get to CenterCity easily, just not through it.

The League of American

Bicyclists, an advocacygroup, recently ranked Phila-delphia in the fourth tier ofbicycle-friendly communi-ties — well below Boulder,Colo., Seattle, and San Fran-cisco but on a par with New

York and Albu-querque, N.M.

Cycling inPhiladelphiahas doubled inthe last threeyears, accord-ing to the Bicy-cle Coalition ofGreater Phila-delphia.

The Center City stretch ofthe Schuylkill River Trail,which has seen the most ex-plosive growth, is up to anaverage 16,000 cyclists aweek. The end of Kelly Driverecords more than 30,000.

But neither links west andeast, the Schuylkill with the

See CYCLISTS on A14

Spruce and Pineto test bike lanes

WEATHER

High 85, Low 68Mostly sunny today.Showers tomorrow.Air quality:Moderate. ExclusiveNBC10 EarthWatchforecast, B9.

Prosecutors‘disappointed’;sought 15 years

At philly.com,hear Fumo’sstatement tothe court, andlisten to JudgeBuckwalterdeliver thesentence.

Inside¢ Reaction from Nutterand other leaders. A12.¢ Monica Yant Kinney:Makeover wins mercy. A13.¢ Karen Heller: Light term,heavy burden. A13.¢ Analysis: How the judgedecided the sentence. A14.

BUSINESS

INSIDE HARRY’S HOMEKalas’ house in suburbs is for sale.

By Robert Barnes,Paul Kane and Amy Goldstein

WASHINGTON POST

WASHINGTON — SupremeCourt nominee Sonia Soto-mayor, deflecting persistentRepublican skepticism thatshe can be impartial, insistedat her confirmation hearingyesterday that in 17 years as ajudge she had never let herlife experiences or opinions in-fluence her decisions.

Sotomayor, 55, described asa regrettable “rhetorical flour-ish” her now-famous remark— seized on by her GOP crit-ics on the Senate JudiciaryCommittee — that she wouldhope a “wise Latina” wouldmake better decisions be-cause of her life experiencesthan a white male.

“I want … to give everyoneassurances, I want to state upfront, unequivocally and with-out doubt, I do not believethat any ethnic, racial, or gen-der group has an advantagein sound judging,” the formerdistrict judge who now sits onthe U.S. Court of Appeals forthe Second Circuit in NewYork told senators on the sec-

See SOTOMAYOR on A15

SotomayoranswersGOP criticsGrilled on past words,she said no grouphad an advantage“in sound judging.”

¢ “I was using a rhetoricalflourish that fell flat.” A15.¢ Excerpts from yesterday’squestioning. A15.

A pilot projectstarting aroundLabor Day setsaside one laneon both CenterCity streets.

N.J. growers donate a “super food.”

A berry good deedpacks healthy punch

TOM GRALISH / Staff PhotographerWorker Juan Aguilar loadsberries. Growers gave 3,500pints to an antihunger group.

FUMO GETS 55 MONTHS“I swear toGod, Your

Honor, I neverintended to

steal anythingfrom anybody.”

Vincent J. Fumo

“In my mind,you were a

serious publicservant. Youworked hard

for the public.”

U.S. DistrictJudge Ronald L.

Buckwalter

SPORTS

PHILS SIGN PEDROPitcher gets a one-year contract.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009 ★ Locally Owned & Independent Since 2006 ★ 75 centsB 181st Year, No. 45 8 Regional Edition