Is Local 98 running a squeeze play on the 169th District?
The union's former political director, Ed Neilson, is the Democrat on the primary election and special election ballots Tuesday for that seat.
Is Local 98 running a squeeze play on the 169th District?
Chris Brennan
Campaign literature circulating in Northeast Philly's 169th District for the state House appears to show a squeeze play being executed by Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers for the union's former political director, Ed Neilson, who is the Democrat on the primary election and special election ballots Tuesday for that seat.
A Neilson campaign palm card that started circulating over the weekend notes that Dave Kralle, a Republican on the primary election and special election ballots, "accepted two generous campaign contributions from Democratic ex-Mayor John Street, whose administration was one of the most corrupt in recent history." That palm card lists John Dougherty, Local 98's leader and a longtime Street political ally, as the chairman of Neilson's political action committee.
Compare Neilson's palm card language to a letter Republican John McCann, Kralle's primary opponent, sent to residents of the district on Thursday -- "It will alarm you to know, as it did me, that my opponent Dave Kralle solicited and received two generous campaign contributions from ex-Mayor and defiant Democrat John Street, who presided over one of the most corrupt administrations in the recent history of our city."
Neilson and McCann are clearly singing the same tune -- you can see the palm card and letter here -- when it comes to Street and his campaign contributions.
Kralle told us Street, who was a professor in a Temple University class he took, gave him two unsolicited campaign donations of $250 and $100. Kralle said Local 98 wants McCann to win the Republican primary because Neilson would have a better chance of defeating him in the November general election.
McCann's brother and campaign manager, Brian, declined to comment today about the similar language on the palm card and in the letter. He said there has been no cooperation between McCann's campaign and Local 98 or Neilson's campaign.
It comes as little surprise that a Republican in Northeast Philly would bring up Street's name in a political attack. But Neilson? He was political director for Local 98 during Street's 1999 and 2003 campaigns for mayor, when the union strongly backed his campaigns.
Street also appointed Neilson to the Philadelphia Parking Authority board. And Neilson wrote a letter to the Daily News in 2003, praising "the great job Mayor Street is doing in the neighborhoods."
The 169th District seat is open because Denny O'Brien resigned in January to take a seat on City Council. The winner of Tuesday's special election will complete the last six months of O'Brien's final term while the winner of the general election will get a new two-year term starting in January.
Go ahead, Philly! Drink that Kool-Aid. Just keep letting Johnny Doc and his cronies infiltrate City politics and you'll be sitting around wondering why your City just can't seem to get out of the mess it has always been. These guys make the mob look clean and ethical. Beware!!!— martycon- Who would be surprised at this..??? Why isn't Dougherty and 98 investigated at every turn? Ask Dougherty about his minority hires within his union, they don't exist.
It's bad enough they overcharge for doing shoddy electrial work, but why do we have to put up with his nonsense at the polls?— mightymax - Sure 98 makes some valuable donations to the communities; it's called being a good neighbor. But Philadelphia is not their "private kingdom".— paulfromtheoblongtable
- Hahaha...the city of Philadelphia continues to spiral out of control downward because of the Democratic party and the filthy unions....but yet, the overwhelmingly stupid voters in Philly will continue to blindly vote for the Democratic party and the destructive policies of patronage, unions, corruption, big taxation, deficit spending, gross fiscal mismanagment and complete empty headed morons running the city. And then complain about the city.
And Johnnie Doc & Bob Brady will rejoice again on the evening after the elections. Hope & change, hope & change...— kelprod2 - Johnny "Doc" playing both sides of the field, to get another one "of his boys" in office!! Get out and vote today!! Do a write in for anyone but the two endorsed by Johnny "Doc", and John Street!!!— Dadair1
- People like Johnny "Doc" is the reason why you can afford to type on that computer you have. He creates jobs, including for minorities.— MaGroin85
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David Gambacorta spent a small eternity writing about cops, drug dealers and serial killers. Now he’s writing about power and politics – which sometimes reminds him of the old crime beat. He joined the Daily News in 2005. And yes, he knows you’re not quite sure how to pronounce his last name. E-mail tips to gambacd@phillynews.com
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Jan Ransom, a native New Yorker, joined the Daily News in 2010 after graduating from Howard University. She has since written about the difficulty of filing police complaints, tax deadbeats and life after violent home invasions. She joined the Daily News City Hall Bureau in 2011 and has plunged headfirst into reporting on administration budget battles and City Council shenanigans. E-mail tips to ransomj@phillynews.com
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Sean Collins Walsh is from Bucks County and went to Northwestern University. He joined the Daily News copy desk in 2012 and now covers the Nutter administration. Before that, he interned at papers including The New York Times, The Dallas Morning News and The Seattle Times. E-mail tips to walshSE@phillynews.com
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