I know I am not the first to break this story, but in case you have not heard, Sen. Vince Fumo is expected to formally withdraw his bid for re-election in the 1st state Senatorial district today.

This leaves Anne Dicker, John Dougherty, and Larry Farnese to duke it out on their own.

Woa. Read more here.

Love him or hate him, there's no denying that Fumo brought a lot of money home from Harrisburg to Philadelphia. And perhaps of even more use, he has showed us that local members of the state legislative delegation can wield a tremendous amount of power (definitely not the norm in the Philly delegation).

Now if only we could find someone to use that power for good...

I got an interesting email from Sheila Ballen today. She has heard about the draft-Sheila "movement" and asked if I could post this on her behalf:

Dear friends,

I recently got wind about these posts. I am humbled that there are people who want to draft me into running against Senator Fumo. It is a great responsibility to be asked and while I am flattered this is something I never really considered and the time is not right so I will not be running for the senate seat. Please allow me to thank the folks who have dedicated their time and effort in trying to draft me into running. I am incredibly gratified by your grassroots effort. I feel fortunate that right now I am able to devote my energies to ensuring that every child receives a quality education in Pennsylvania.

Thank you again,
Sheila Ballen