Fumo advises voters not to back Dougherty

State Sen. Vincent J. Fumo is imploring residents of his district to vote against his longtime foe John J. Dougherty in the race to succeed him, labeling him "a bully, a thug and evil."

"I am not endorsing any candidates, but do not elect John Dougherty," Fumo said at a meeting of the Spring Garden Civic Association. "I do not want that to be my legacy. He is a bully, a thug and evil. Please vote against him."

Though he did not formally endorse any candidate in Tuesday's Democratic primary, he made clear Wednesday to the 200 people at St. Andrew Lithuanian Church - many of them his neighbors - that he supported Center City lawyer Larry Farnese.

"I got 16 members of the Senate to endorse Farnese and raise money for him," Fumo said. "Any kind of logic would lead you to vote for Farnese."

Dougherty, the business manager of Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, said he had supported many programs in the neighborhood, home to the union's headquarters.

"Why the senator would choose my backyard to make such comments escapes me since I've been respectful of his legacy," he said. "I'd expect this kind of angry rant from Farnese, but not from the senator. It's a shame."

Fumo's appearance was the latest in a series he has undertaken around the First Senate District to review the accomplishments of his 30 years in office. He announced last month that he would not seek reelection under the "cloud" of a trial set for September on federal corruption charges.

As Fumo spoke, Farnese arrived to address the association. Both men later shook hands, and Fumo stayed for the candidate's presentation.

Association president Pat Freeland said Dougherty and Anne Dicker, the third candidate in the race, had been invited but did not show.

The Committee of Seventy said yesterday it would pay special attention to any intimidation attempts or voting-place shenanigans in Tuesday's primary.

Not only will the district receive a disproportionate number of poll watchers - 140 - compared with the rest of the city, but most of them will be lawyers and law students, said Zack Stalberg, chief executive officer of the nonprofit watchdog organization.

The district deserves stepped-up oversight because members of Dougherty's union have a history of hard-nosed election-day tactics, he said.

"It's an area where people take their politics seriously," Stalberg said, adding that tensions have been exacerbated by a longtime feud between Fumo and Dougherty, known as Johnny Doc.

"It's also Doc's nature to try to win this by as big of a margin as he can," he said.

Stalberg said more than 775 poll watchers - a record - would be posted throughout the city.

The First District - which extends from Philadelphia International Airport to Port Richmond and Brewerytown and includes Center City and South Philadelphia - has about 200 voting places, said Leah Pillsbury, who is coordinating the committee's efforts. The monitors also will pay special attention to the Democratic state House race in South Philadelphia's 184th District, which is entirely within the First.

Farnese and Christian DiCicco, one of the candidates in the 184th, asked the Justice Department this week to monitor the election.

In a letter to U.S. Attorney Patrick L. Meehan, the candidates expressed concern that Dougherty's union members "will be a source of threats, intimidation, obstruction or coercion."

DiCicco is running against State Rep. Bill Keller, a former longshoreman who has Dougherty's backing.

Patty Hartman, a spokesman for Meehan, said the office was conferring with the department's voting-rights section to see what, if any, action is needed.

Brian Hickey, a spokesman for the Dougherty campaign, said: "The opposition has been crying wolf for the past eight weeks, so we're used to the baseless innuendo that the voters are seeing right through.

"From day one, John has run a positive campaign," he said. "That positivity will serve him well on Election Day, and in Harrisburg."

On another front, efforts by The Inquirer to obtain Dougherty's financial disclosure forms as chairman of the city Redevelopment Authority have stalled.

Frank Keel, a spokesman for both the authority board and Dougherty, said last week they would be available Tuesday.

Yesterday, he said they would be available today.

The authority, of which Dougherty was named chairman by Mayor John F. Street, channels tens of millions of dollars in government funding for projects around the city.