Tayoun sees Fumo seat as Dougherty's to lose
JIMMY TAYOUN, a veteran of South Philadelphia politics who now publishes the weekly Philadelphia Public Record, does not miss much.
JIMMY TAYOUN, a veteran of South Philadelphia politics who now publishes the weekly
Philadelphia Public Record,
does not miss much.
As state Sen. Vince Fumo gave up his re-election bid yesterday at the Convention Center, Tayoun was in the audience. Afterward, Tayoun - a former ward leader, state rep, city councilman and federal prison inmate - offered this analysis of the slimmed-down three-way race for Fumo's seat:
"It's Johnny Doc's to [lose]. The organization will fall behind him. Most of the ward leaders had already begun to desert Fumo. All the unions in the city are totally behind [John] Dougherty. . . . He'll have the money and he'll have the ability to get forces on the field."
Not much to argue with there.
As former treasurer of Democratic City Committee, Dougherty has personal relationships with most of the district's Democratic ward leaders, from Southwest Philadelphia to Fishtown.
As the veteran leader of the electricians union, Local 98, Dougherty knows all the major figures in organized labor. The city's unions are lining up to provide endorsements and checks for the his campaign.
But with two behemoths in the Senate race now reduced to one, Dougherty becomes a clear target for the two other candidates in the race, Anne Dicker and Larry Farnese. Dougherty is vulnerable in a couple of places. He has developed enemies in his rise to power, the biggest of them Fumo and allies like Councilmen Frank DiCicco and Jim Kenney, both South Philadelphia natives with strong followings.
U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, the Democratic Party chairman, clashed with Dougherty two years ago, dumping him from his post as party treasurer.
And Dougherty also has issues with the federal government. (Story on Page 4).
With six weeks to go before the April 22 primary, it's unclear whether Dicker, Farnese or both will find ways to exploit Dougherty's weaknesses and make the race competitive.
They're both vying for recognition on two fronts: first, trying to establish bona fides as "the real reformer," and second, trying to raise the money and create a political organization with the strength to beat Dougherty.
"I founded some of the top grassroots reform movements in the city the past five years," said Dicker, 35, referring to Philly for Change, a political reform group; Neighbors Allied for the Best Riverfront and Casino-Free Philadelphia, which has led the fight against the city's two casinos.
She said she expects to begin limited TV advertising next week, but with only $15,000 in her campaign treasury, she acknowledges she'll have to step up her fundraising.
She added a shot at Farnese: "I think it's ridiculous for Larry Farnese to call himself a reformer. He's a Center City lawyer. . . . Nobody knows what he's even doing in this race. I've been out there pushing reform for five years, and I've been very successful at it."
Farnese, 39, described himself as "the only reform candidate with the ingredients necessary to beat union boss John Dougherty - a command of all the issues important to this district . . . and a proven track record of fundraising capabilities necessary to get your reform message out."
Farnese had $51,000 in the bank at the end of last year, nearly 10 times Dicker's balance.
But that's still chump change compared with the amounts Dougherty has raised in the past. Last year the union's political-action committee raised and spent more than $2 million, and at a single breakfast of union leaders last week, the contributions were said to add up to $250,000. *
