WILL THE WORM TURN? On Tuesday, state Sen. Wayne Fontana of Brookline announced that he had been appointed the Democratic chair of the Senate Game and Fisheries Committee. A statement on his Web site quoted him as saying: "I will use my leadership position ... to advance the interests of Pennsylvania's sportsmen and sportswomen." The statement went on to say that, as an avid fisherman, "he would work to preserve the integrity and beauty of the state's game lands and streams. ..." Unfortunately for the cause of consistency, Sen. Fontana was one of those who voted Monday for Senate Bill 1201, which seeks to derail the Rendell administration's attempt to give Pennsylvania tougher curbs on mercury emissions from power plants than the federal standard. Mercury is a dangerous neurotoxin that finds its way into fish, which is why the bill is opposed by the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs. Sadly, Sen. Fontana's pledge of fealty to the environment sounds like just another fisherman's tale.

IT'S HARD TO KNOW when silence is golden when you are in the midst of doing the wrong thing, but it's a lesson that House Speaker John Perzel has finally learned. Mr. Perzel was an outspoken defender of last summer's late-night legislative pay raise, or at least he was after his return from a trip to China that left his colleagues taking the heat in his absence. When he returned, he tried to justify the raise by saying Lancaster County cow milkers earned almost as much as legislators, a claim that was not only denied by the dairy workers but also resembled a certain odoriferous byproduct of the industry. Last week, he said in a visit to the Capitol pressroom that from now on he was going to keep his mouth shut about the pay raise. Pennsylvanians "have spoken [and said] the pay raise was wrong," he said. "It's been repealed in accordance with the wishes of the people. I have been defending something that the people of Pennsylvania have deemed as indefensible." Smart fellow (belatedly).

SOMETIMES A POLITICIAN will speak out as a matter of principle even though it might offend some constituents (hey, it happens, and it is refreshing when it does). With many lawmakers in full cry to pass an anti-gay marriage amendment that would serve no purpose other that than to write bigotry into the state constitution, the politically smart thing for Gov. Ed Rendell to do last weekend might have been to stay far away from the gay pride march in Pittsburgh. Instead, he was there to kick it off. He also brought onto the stage two women from Ross who were wearing "Just married in Canada" T-shirts and told them, "Some day I hope that shirt says 'Just married in Pennsylvania.' " It seems a vain hope. On Wednesday, the state Senate approved its version of the amendment, 38-12, and sent it to be reconciled with the version passed in the House.

THE STATE OFFICE BUILDING, Downtown, is across the street from the Post-Gazette on the Boulevard of the Allies and fond neighborly thoughts don't immediately propel us to embrace the news that the state Department of General Services is considering selling the 16-story building as a way to reduce costs. Still, the building occupies some prime real estate, and if a good price can be obtained for it and leasing new digs turns out to be a better deal, then it might be worth doing. Just show us the figures and guarantee that members of the public who now visit the building will not be unduly inconvenienced.