Cyber Slammed

DumpFumo.com, a website attacking State Sen. Vincent Fumo, is the talk in political circles. The website refers to news articles about Fumo aide Roseanne Pauciello, who was subpoenaed by the feds in connection with the Philadelphia Parking Authority. The site also references Fumo’s voting record on education and taxes, and lists employee and spending abuses. Included are cartoons about Fumo by Inquirer artist Tony Auth and Daily News artist Signe Wilkinson. There is also a page for reader comment.

A domain name registration search reveals that the website is registered to Nora Truscello, a South Philadelphia resident. Calls left on her answering machine were not returned.

James Tayoun Jr. , who is running in the Democratic primary against Fumo, was not available for comment, but his father, former City Councilman James Sr. , denies that the site has any connection to the Tayoun campaign.

"We have nothing to do with it," said the elder Tayoun, now the owner and publisher of the weekly newspaper The Public Record. He stressed that his son's campaign would not be negative. Tayoun says he's never heard of Truscello.

Fumo's spokesperson, Gary Tuma, had no comment on the website.

Still Parking

Last week’s Political Notebook focused on the appointment of a new executive director of Fairmount Park. Mayor John Street is leaning towards naming Karen Lloyd Borski, the interim executive director, but questions are being raised about her qualifications.

After the deadline for that column, Lloyd Borski called with her comments.

"I clearly love the park and I am one of the candidates being interviewed for the job. I knew going in that I may be serving on a temporary basis, a year so far, but I also didn't know how I would like it," said Lloyd Borski.

She said she is supportive of the national search for an executive director that the Fairmount Park Commission is conducting.

"I think that finding the right candidate is the most important thing for the park," said Lloyd Borski, a graduate of Georgetown University who majored in English and government.

In response to concerns that she lacks experience, Lloyd Borski said, "I can offer PR and polish and have been working on a strategic plan for conservancy and reaching out to corporations like PECO. And I have done a lot of outreach for partnerships with park advocates. I was a consultant for Temple University and I was a congressional wife."

Her husband, Robert Borski, a former congressman from Northeast Philadelphia, is now the state lobbyist hired by Gov. Ed Rendell.

"My husband being a lobbyist may not be a bad thing, to get [state] money and work together," she said. "Politics is not bad. I come from a political family."

Sweet Melissa

Recognizing that Republicans get creamed in elections in the city, Republican activist Jonathan Goldstein got busy and has been convincing suburban Republicans to join with the GOP city folk in support of their candidate in the 13th Congressional District race. The U.S. House seat is being vacated by Joe Hoeffel, who is now running for U.S. Senate.

This group's candidate of choice is Melissa Brown, who has been endorsed by the Republican City Committee, Montgomery County Commissioner Jim Matthews, Speaker of the House John Perzel and National Committeeman and chocolate magnate Bob Asher.

"I have been streamlining the Republican effort for the city and suburbs, which is good for all of us," said Goldstein. He hosted a fundraiser for Brown last week at the Franklin Inn Club, the former respite of famous literati where Goldstein was president.

Brown's opponent in the Republican primary is former State Rep. Ellen Bard, who resigned her seat to run for Congress. Goldstein predicted that Brown would beat Bard. "I imagine that Republican leadership is annoyed at Ellen Bard for abandoning her seat that could end up with the Democrats," said Goldstein. Democrat Josh Shapiro is gunning for Bard's seat.

The Democrats running in the 13th are State Sen. Allyson Schwartz and Joe Torsella.

Goldstein, who last ran unsuccessfully in 2002 in the 182nd District against State Rep. Babette Josephs, is not running again this year because he is a full-time student at Penn Law and his wife, Julia, an attorney at Dechert, is expecting their first child in June.

The Republican candidate challenging Josephs is Andrew Terhune.

House Cleaning

A. J. Thomson has decided not to run against State Rep. Marie Lederer in the 175th District, citing new professional obligations. Lederer now only faces Democrat Sheila Ballen in the primary.

Sharif Street is not running again against State Rep. Frank Oliver in the 195th. Street did not give a specific reason why he isn't running, but did say he intends to focus on being a delegate for Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry.

Street tried to unseat Oliver in 2002 in a nasty primary fight. After the 2003 general election, Street accused Oliver of not helping get out the vote for his father, Mayor Street. Oliver took issue, declaring that he made great efforts to support the mayor in his re-election bid.