On Thursday, state Sen. Vince Fumo stood at a construction site to announce a state grant for a food distribution center in South Philadelphia. Several days earlier he presented a grant to Penn State University for fuel-cell education. In between, he lobbied for changes to the state's gaming law.

You'd hardly know the swashbuckling power broker was days away from a public corruption trial that could put him behind bars for the rest of his life or that he has indicated he will cast no more votes in the Senate.

Jury selection begins today in his criminal trial. He faces 139 counts of fraud, conspiracy, obstruction of justice and tax evasion. Selection is expected to take several days.

Opening statements in the trial are scheduled for Sept. 15. The case could last months.

Mr. Fumo, D-Philadelphia, has maintained his innocence.

"The vibes he's giving off suggest he knows there could be a bad outcome, and he knows there could be serious consequences. He's publicly said he is concerned ... and, physically, he looks like a guy who is on edge a little bit," said Zach Stahlberg, president of the Committee of Seventy, a government and elections watchdog group in Philadelphia. Mr. Stahlberg is the former editor of The Philadelphia Daily News and has known Mr. Fumo for decades.

The charges against Mr. Fumo were outlined in a lengthy indictment last year.

Among prosecutors' accusations are that Mr. Fumo:

• Put his son-in-law, Christian Marrone, on the state payroll, although the only work he did was on the senator's personal property.

• Gave several friends no-show jobs on the Senate payroll.

• Used state workers to run his farm and manage renovation projects at his 33-room mansion.

• Defrauded taxpayers, a museum and a nonprofit group of $3.5 million.

• Ordered staffers to destroy e-mail messages pertinent to the federal investigation.

• Extorted millions from Peco Energy Co. for Citizens Alliance for Better Neighborhoods, a nonprofit group he created.

While he answers to those charges, Mr. Fumo plans to continue representing Philadelphia, said his legislative spokesman, Gary Tuma.

"He intends to continue, at least to some extent, to be on the job even after the trial begins. When the trial ends each day, he can still go into the district office and be involved in some issues, but there will be some constraints because he'll be in the courtroom most of the day," Mr. Tuma said.

Although he won't be legislating full time, he will continue to receive his state salary of $76,613 through the end of the year.

Observers in Philadelphia view Mr. Fumo as someone who tried to do the right thing for the city but became so consumed with his powerful position as Appropriations Committee chairman that he allowed his public and private lives to become wildly intertwined.

"When revelations about Fumo were coming out, people here were licking their lips and fascinated with the latest developments. Now the mood in Philadelphia is a little bit different because people are realizing what it means to lose Vince Fumo, especially when it won't be all that long until we lose [term-limited Gov. Ed] Rendell," said Mr. Stahlberg.

"For the last several years there have been two powerful Philadelphians watching out for Philly's interest in a state in which Philadelphia isn't exactly beloved. This indictment has moved from being a source of entertainment to 'Holy Toledo! This guy who has been taking care of us for years in Harrisburg is moving off the scene.' "

Mr. Fumo, who has been in office for 30 years, did a lot more than look out for Philadelphia, Mr. Tuma said.

"He's accomplished an awful lot and [his departure] is going to have an impact on other parts of the state, including Pittsburgh," he said. "He was the leader in his caucus fighting for a lot of the issues in urban areas in general. ... He was a very effective champion for a lot of causes that are important to all cities in Pennsylvania."