Fumo's vacuum

From Tracie Mauriello in Harrisburg:

A canister vacuum, 28 uprights, a wet vac and two Dust Busters are Gene Stilp's latest props to draw attention to corruption in Harrisburg.

Mr. Stilp, activist and founder of Taxpayer and Ratepayers United, rounded up two friends and 32 vacuum cleaners to make a point to U.S. District Judge Ronald Buckwalter that the 55-month sentence he handed down to former Philadelphia Sen. Vince Fumo sucked.  

Mr. Stilp said that's too light for a conviction on 137 counts including theft. Under sentencing guidelines, Mr. Fumo could have been sent to prison for 27 years. Among his crimes were ordering evidence destroyed, using tax dollars to hire a private investigator to follow around political enemies and ex-girlfriends and stealing from a Citizens Alliance for Better Neighborhoods, a nonprofit he set up in South Philadelphia that was funded largely through state grants.

What Mr. Stilp and his buddies -- Robert Sheaffer of Harrisburg and Dennis Baylor of Berks County -- focused on were 19 Oreck vacuum cleaners Mr. Fumo with the nonprofit's money and the state workers he ordered to use them to clean his Philadelphia mansion.

"Not only did taxpayers provide tghose vacuum cleaners, but they also paid for the staff to run them," Mr. Stilp said. "Fumo said he never stole from anybody. Well he did. He stole from me. I'm a taxpayer," Mr. Shaeffer said yesterday outside the Capitol where 32 vacuums -- mostly broken, some full of dust -- were on display. Mr. Stilp used one to suck up a stack of dollar bills that Mr. Shaeffer held out. "This is how Fumo sucked the money right out of taxpayers' hands," Mr. Stilp said.

The three activists are hoping to collect more vacuums, which they intend to deliver Aug. 9 to Judge Buckwalter's office in Philadelphia.