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Local 98 rejects Johnny Doc’s pick to lead Philly’s politically powerful electricians union

Local 98, Philadelphia's politically powerful electrical workers union, rejected the candidate backed by former leader John "Johnny Doc" Dougherty in an election Saturday.

John Dougherty, the former business manager of IBEW Local 98, speaks during a 2013 union protest.
John Dougherty, the former business manager of IBEW Local 98, speaks during a 2013 union protest.Read more / Staff File

John “Johnny Doc” Dougherty’s campaign to depose the man he backed 19 months ago to lead Pennsylvania’s most politically powerful union was rejected Saturday as members of Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers voted to keep Mark Lynch Jr. as their business manager.

Lynch won 55% of the vote in a runoff election against Todd Neilson, Dougherty’s candidate, who took 45% of the vote.

Both had campaigned on promises of putting the union’s controversial past behind them.

That was a complicated task since both have direct ties to Dougherty, who was convicted in November 2021 on federal bribery charges along with the union’s former political director, former City Councilman Bobby Henon.

Dougherty still has two more criminal trials ahead of him, including one for charges that he and other Local 98 officials embezzled more than $600,000 from the union. Henon is already serving a prison term.

Lynch, in an email to Local 98 members Friday, sounded a conciliatory note in what had become an acrid election.

“Todd and I are not enemies, we’re just opponents,” he wrote. “Todd’s supporters are not enemies of my supporters. In the end, we all want a strong, united local.”

Lynch, who fired Neilsen from a union post after taking over, saved most of his invective in the election for Dougherty, who called him “the right choice at the right time” when he backed Lynch to lead Local 98 one day after his bribery conviction.

The two men had a falling out after Local 98 did not back Dougherty in a fight with the union’s insurance carrier about paying for his continuing legal bills.

Lynch told Clout last week that Dougherty turned on him “because I wouldn’t cave to his demands for money and fought his attempts to maintain control.”

After his victory, Lynch said he would work to “reclaim our union’s good name.”

“What matters most right now is that we set aside any political factions and recommit to one another as true union brothers and sisters,” Lynch said of the divided union.

Clout provides often irreverent news and analysis about people, power, and politics.