IBEW Local 98 (Philadelphia PA) Members Attacked by Democratic Party Chair

	In Brady-Doc standoff, union blinks - a little By BOB WARNER warnerb@phillynews.com 215-854-5885 Posted on Thu, Mar. 16, 2006 Apparently hoping to smooth over a dispute with city Democratic chairman Bob Brady, leaders of the electricians' union said yesterday that they're asking an unspecified number of union members to bow out of campaigns to become Democratic committeemen - the foot soldiers of the local political organization. So far, about five members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 98, have agreed to pull out of their races, according to union spokesman Frank Keel. "But this is America and people have civil rights," Keel said in a statement delivered to reporters, striking a tone that was less than apologetic. "If they choose to run for elected office, that's their right as an American citizen. No one should appreciate that right more than a local Democratic Party chairman who also happens to be a U.S. congressman." Brady returned a call from the Daily News yesterday but refused to comment on his dispute with union president John Dougherty, also the city's Democratic Party treasurer. Last week, Brady sent a letter to the city's ward leaders accusing Dougherty of an effort "to polarize and destroy this party." And in a two-hour, face-to-face meeting Monday, Brady asked Dougherty to resign as party treasurer. Dougherty refused. More than 3,000 Democratic committee members are elected every four years, for two spots in each of the city's 1,681 voting divisions. All it takes to run are 10 signatures on nominating petitions from registered Democrats living in the division. Keel said this week that the IBEW had agreed to participate in a national effort by organized labor to put union members into vacant committeeman positions. But in numerous situations around the city - several dozen, according to annoyed ward leaders - people identifying themselves as electricians filed papers to challenge incumbent committeemen. If they continue running, their neighbors will choose between the candidates in the Democratic primary election, May 16. In subsequent weeks, elected committeemen will choose the city's 69 ward leaders, and then the ward leaders will elect a city chairman and treasurer, among other offices. Dougherty would not answer questions yesterday from the Daily News, but his spokesman tried to minimize the significance of his confrontation with Brady earlier this week. "John [Dougherty] still thinks this is somewhat overblown," Keel said. "He doesn't deny Bob Brady was angry, but he thinks this is part and parcel of the Democratic infighting that goes on all the time in this city... . John Dougherty is not one to hold a grudge. He thinks that he and the chairman will get over this and be back on the same page quickly." Pat Eiding, president of the Philadelphia Council of the AFL-CIO, said yesterday that union leaders had hoped to find union members to fill vacant committeeman spots but "never intended to get into any kind of head-butting with anybody." He said Local 98 members tend to "react a little bit quicker" when their leaders ask them to get involved in something. "Without me knowing anything more, I think that's what might have happened here," Eiding said. "A couple people ran where they shouldn't have, and it just got blown up too much." Eiding said he discussed the situation yesterday with the IBEW's political director, Bobby Henon, who agreed that the union would try to correct any "slips" that set up contested races for committeemen spots.

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