Johnny Doc... what a crock

I've been following my state senate race very closely this spring, and I'm still crossing my fingers that Progressive Anne Dicker (right) can beat out the well-funded, ethically challenged John Dougherty and the outgoing Sen. Vince Fumo's hand-picked successor, Larry Farnese, a week from this Tuesday.

This morning, Philadelphia Inky columnist Monica Yant Kinney had some interesting things to say about Johnny Doc in her column:

It's 2005. You earn $175,000 that year and decide to renovate your home.

Do you (a) rent a place for the duration of the messy six-month project or (b) live for free at a luxury waterfront apartment building owned by a prominent developer?

John Dougherty chose b.

Personally, if I wore as many hats as Dougherty does and wanted to hold office, I'd jump into the Delaware before taking a gift like that.

Dougherty, business manager for Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and Democratic candidate for the First District's state Senate seat, seems to have no problem with sweet deals that to voters may taste sour.

In 2003, according to federal authorities, he bought a North Wildwood condo from an electrician pal for $24,000 less than what you or I would have had to pay because he could, never mind that the law forbids contractors from plying union leaders with gifts.

Investigators are also concerned whether, a year later, the same contractor did work gratis on Dougherty's home in South Philly.

Now we learn that during the renovation, developer Peter DePaul gave Dougherty a key to a $3,000-a-month unit in the Dockside Luxury Apartments.

Inside the complex - which resembles a cruise ship and boasts of offering "a sea of amenities" - Dougherty had granite counter tops, a private terrace, and the use of an indoor pool.

This was a freebie, Dougherty freely acknowledged. Now if it was only clear why he had taken it in the first place.

This is one in a seemingly endless examples of why Dougherty should be shown the door, not given the keys to the First District's state Senate seat. I've said it many times, and it certainly bears repeating - Dougherty represents the sleaziness and questionable ethics that have stained Vince Fumo's tenure in the state Senate. In order to move forward, I really do hope and pray that voters send Dicker to the fall election with a primary victory, not Farnese or (heaven forbid) Johnny Dougherty.

There seems to be a good amount of money to throw around (and away) on the part of Farnese and Dougherty - in the past few weeks, I've gotten more mail fliers from these two than Publisher's Clearing House. I don't mind receiving it, because we are already casting our votes for Dicker, so they're simply wasting their money.

Probably my favorite piece of direct mail came from Larry Farnese, boasting about how when his father got cancer, he successfully fought his dad's HMO about one thing or another. Hmm - that's a pretty honorable thing to do - using your father's cancer on campaign literature. I guess it didn't occur to his campaign handlers to include a picture of Farnese helping an old lady across the street.

The irony isn't lost on me that Farnese has gained the support of the Liberty City Lesbian and Gay Democratic Club, either. Farnese and Dicker both support gay marriage, so I give Farnese credit for that, but I'm unsure why Farnese has otherwise received the club's support.

Dicker, open bisexual, has amazingly been derided by some critics as making that fact public for political reasons. I guess I must be living in an alternate universe, because I must have missed the political development when it became political advantageous to be anything other than straight, in Philadelphia or any other city. My guess is that Dicker did it for two reasons - so her opponents couldn't dig up that dirt on her, and to indicate to voters of all sexual orientations that she can appreciate some of the issues they face today. In one of the Philadelphia weeklies that one of the leaders of a Philadelphia gay group slammed Dicker for never having been a member or being vocal about her sexual orientation before running for the state Senate. In a word - preposterous. I'm a straight man, so perhaps I cannot totally appreciate what gays go through, but since when is anyone who is gay obligated to be actively involved in gay community groups? Just a thought.

Anyway, I urge all Democratic voters in Philadelphia's First District to cast their vote for Dicker. She has received a very high number of endorsements, including The Philadelphia Inquirer. Drop by her Website to find out more.

You can print out Dicker window signs like the one at left, too - I have two on my car.

Get a color sign Here (PDF for download).

Get a black and white sign Here (PDF for download).

Dicker appeared on WHYY's Radio Times to debate Farnese and Dougherty last week. Clearly, she was on her A-game, while Dougherty and Farnese didn't sound as good to me. Click Here to listen to the debate.

In fairness, I liked several things about all of the candidates, and it's safe to say that whomever wins the April 22 Democratic primary, I will vote for in November (although I'd hold my nose voting for Dougherty).

It's little wonder that Dougherty only wanted to spend a half hour on the show, because he virtually spent the entire half hour of the debate on the defensive, and he has a lot to answer for. Scheduling conflict my ass. I find it OUTRAGEOUS that Dougherty wants to remain on in his post with IBEW Local 98. Dicker was spot on when she said she doesn't believe that IBEW Local 98 deserves its own Senate seat. It does not, and it had ought to be a much bigger campaign issue than it is been thus far.

Another thing I love about Dicker is that she is vehemently anti-casino, as the founder of Casino Free Philadelphia. Good on her, because I firmly believe that casinos are the last thing we need in Philadelphia.

Nine days to go 'til the primary, and we must support and elect smart, bright, determined and motivated Progressives like Anne Dicker. Please support her campaign with time or money - every little bit helps.

Anne Dicker's TV ad

Earlier today, I received an e-mail from Anne Dicker's campaign about her first television commercial. Check out the YouTube version of it above to take a look.

Anne is running for Pennsylvania State Senate in Philadelphia's First District, and as I've mentioned before, my wife and I are giving our unqualified support and votes to her. She's running against the smarmy John Dougherty, who represents the "Philly way" in politics of 25 or 30 years ago. Recently, the incumbent, disgraced Sen. Vince Fumo announced that he is retiring, and that's the first step to cleaning up politics in Philadelphia. The next step is electing a smart, motivated, dedicated Progressive like Anne Dicker. Philly can ill-afford another state senator like Fumo, and that's precisely what Dougherty is; electing him will do nothing to cover up the stench of the Fumo era.

I'll be writing more about Anne in the coming days and weeks, but in the meantime, click on Anne's Website to learn more about her, and to donate money. Anne has a serious fight on her hands; big labor in Philly is tough to beat, but if anyone can do it, Anne can.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, she supports Barack Obama - another reason to give her your vote.

Please support her campaign in time and money - there's less than a month to go until the Democratic State Senate primary.

See ya, Vinny - thanks for... nothing

I was heartened to hear yesterday that Pennsylvania State Senator Vincent J. Fumo is ending his re-election bid for Philadelphia's First District.

He will not be missed.

In Philadelphia's corrupt political system, Fumo is part of the problem, not part of the solution. I won't even get into all of his alleged improprieties - I don't feel like wasting the time by listing all of them here.

Recently, his health has been in decline - two back surgeries and a heart attack have taken their toll - but yesterday, he claimed that his health had nothing to do with his decision to retire from the Pennsylvania State Senate. He cited his 139-count federal indictment as his reason for stepping down.

Whatever the reason, I'm happy that he has decided to call it a day in the Senate. Now, Philadelphians who live in the First District (I am one) have another product of the city's political machine to oppose - electrical workers union boss Johnny "Doc" Dougherty.

In short, forget it. No way will I support another thuggish character from South Philadelphia. This morning, I read one of the most poignant editorials I've read in a long time in today's Philadelphia Inquirer. It is nothing short of a spot-on assessment of Dougherty and his corrupt, thuggish brand of politics; the kind of politics that may have been effective or at least desirable in this city 20 or 30 years ago, but those days have long passed in Philadelphia (I hope). The editorial from the Inky:

An old pol for a new day

State. Sen. Vincent J. Fumo's decision to not seek reelection leaves union boss John Dougherty as the clear front-runner.

That's good for Dougherty, but troubling for reform-minded voters. In some respects, Dougherty is a junior version of Fumo - though without the Mensa membership.

Both are brash, colorful, South Philadelphia characters.

In fact, Dougherty was once a Fumo acolyte. Like Fumo, he can be pugnacious and charming. Dougherty also does lots of good work, but he and his union buddies at times have acted like thugs.

Also like Fumo, federal prosecutors have a thick file on Dougherty. But unlike Fumo, Dougherty hasn't been accused of any wrongdoing. Dougherty's attorney said yesterday that prosecutors had told him that the union boss wasn't the target of any investigation.

In launching his bid for state Senate last week, Dougherty scoffed at the hint of any federal investigations into his dealings.

"I've been subpoenaed for 15 years, being a labor leader," he said. "It's a tough environment when you're aggressive and take on business."

Right. Just ask Jimmy Hoffa.

Johnny Doc's union tough-guy shtick might sell well with Johnny Friendly, the character Lee J. Cobb played in On the Waterfront. But that act is old.

Dougherty is a throwback in a town trying to move forward. He argues he gets things done. Fine. But it's also how things get done.

Mayor Nutter's election demonstrated that Philadelphians are fed up with the old-style politics of pay-to-play, cronyism and nepotism. Even lawmakers in Harrisburg are dragging themselves out of the Dark Ages.

Dougherty was a big supporter of former Mayor John Street, whose administration was marred in a broad corruption scandal. He also backed former City Councilman Rick Mariano, now in prison after being convicted of bribery.

Dougherty was never linked to either of those probes, but his choice of political allies is worth noting.

For example, his good friend Donald "Gus" Dougherty was indicted last summer on 100 counts of fraud and tax evasion. Gus is accused of making illegal payments to John by selling him a house at the Jersey Shore below market value and of doing $115,000 worth of work for free on Johnny Doc's Philly home.

John Dougherty denies any wrongdoing and says he wouldn't be running for public office if he faced legal trouble. He says all the poking around by the feds has been a good vetting process.

Yes, but that the feds are always hovering is disturbing.

For the record: Dougherty wants to replace Fumo, who is under indictment. In 1978, Fumo replaced Buddy Cianfrani, who was also indicted - and convicted.

Voters don't need a three-peat.

Amen to that. Normally, I don't have much love for the Philadelphia Inquirer these days, especially considering who runs it - the über-partisan, Republican hack Brian Tierney - but I certainly agree with the Inky's assessment of Dougherty. I was bummed about this editorial for one reason, though - it didn't mention Dougherty's opponent in the Democratic Primary, which is about five weeks away.

It's awfully tough to overcome labor politics in this city, but we are sure going to try. By "we" I mean supporters of Anne Dicker, (right) who is vying to knock off Dougherty in the April 22 Democratic primary.

Last night, we attended a fund raiser for Dicker at Johnny Brenda's. More on Dicker in a minute in a separate post.