Those positions: build the casinos immediately, don't build them at all, move them someplace else, or satisfy the neighbors and then build them.

That last stance comes from John Dougherty, the Pennsport politician who's stuck between two political bases.

Dougherty is president of his neighborhood association, which has many members who oppose the proposed Foxwoods casino on Columbus Boulevard at Reed Street in Pennsport.

He is also business manager for Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which has many members eager to get to work on building Foxwoods and SugarHouse, another proposed casino in Fishtown.

Dougherty says he has no trouble meshing those apparently contradictory positions.

"I am not anti-casino, I am pro-neighborhood," Dougherty said Friday in a statement. "As President of the Pennsport Civic Association and the organizer of two riverfront development symposiums, I know better than anyone the concerns of the riverfront communities, from traffic, to infrastructure, to crime, to noise."

The casinos, he said, are obligated to work out a solution to those potential problems with residents in the affected neighborhoods.

"If the people who are impacted are satisfied, then I would be satisfied," Dougherty said. "I don't believe that level of resident satisfaction has been achieved yet. The bottom line for me is that until the affected residents and the casino owners come to an equitable meeting of the minds, I will reserve judgment on the viability of these projects in their current locations."

Community activist Anne Dicker, on the other hand, flatly opposes casinos in Philadelphia.

Dicker, who helped start Casino-Free Philadelphia, faces Dougherty and attorney Larry Farnese in the April 22 Democratic primary.

"He seems to have many different positions on casinos," Dicker said of Dougherty. "He apparently thinks he's allowed to have multiple personalities as a state senator."

While Dicker opposes casinos in Philadelphia, she has worked on efforts to amend state law to prevent them from being built within 1,500-feet of homes. She considers that a more likely outcome than a total ban.

Farnese says he is "not anti-casino" because of the taxes that the city would get in host fees and that the state would use to reduce the city's wage tax. But he supports moving the locations due to concerns about proximity to homes and increased traffic. He also wants new hearings on the casino locations.

"The process needs to start again," Farnese said. "The people need a chance to be heard fully."

Jack Morley, a Republican who has run before against Fumo, says that's a terrible idea.

Morely, who is running unopposed in the primary, said he initially opposed casinos but heard too much "broad support" from voters while running in 2004. He worries that the city could be liable for financial damages if the casino developers sue for delays.

"Honestly, these casinos can't make a change without being reimbursed for the tens of millions of dollars that they've already spent," Morley said. "I think practically it's time to help the developers expedite the projects and avoid potential litigation."

Joe Vignola, a former city councilman who has said he will run as an independent in November's general election, did not respond to requests for comment. *