Citizens' Alliance office in South Philadelphia

The non-profit organization that was a central focus in the recent trial of former Democratic State senator Vince Fumo has announced that on April 30 it will end “community service functions.” If you go to the website for Citizens’ Alliance for Better Neighborhoods you find this message.

While this decision was painful, our Board has concluded that we have no other choice in light of the numerous burdens that are beyond our control. Like many other charitable organizations, Citizens has lost significant public and private funding sources. Additionally, our need to allocate critical remaining resources in response to extensive State and City inquiries and investigations, as well as a lack of continued support from the City, has caused Citizens to incur unsustainable financial and administrative strains.

Citizens’ Alliance for Better Neighborhoods has conducted all kinds good deeds including street cleaning, bulk trash pick-up but also, in the past, many favors to Senator Fumo. There was even this story, that an employee was sent all the way to Margate, N.J. to untangle a flag at Fumo’s shore home. See the indictment page 112.

Citizens Alliance employees took Citizens Alliance’s cherry picker to
the shore on several occasions for FUMO projects. One time, an employee took the cherry picker to the shore to untangle a flag from the flag pole at FUMO’s home.

Fumo who was one of Pennsylvania’s most powerful politicians, was convicted last week of defrauding the state senate, obstruction of justice and helping defrauding his own nonprofit out of $1.5 million.