Ex-Councilmember Bobby Henon, convicted in union bribery case, is working as a Local 98 electrician
It’s a full-circle moment for Henon, who was an electrician earlier in his career and eventually rose up the ranks of IBEW Local 98.
Former City Councilmember Bobby Henon, who was recently released from federal prison after serving time on public corruption charges, is working as a union electrician at the Convention Center.
It’s a full-circle moment for Henon, who was an electrician earlier in his career and eventually rose through the union ranks to become political director of the influential International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 98.
That gig led to Henon winning a Philadelphia City Council seat in 2011. But it also led to his downfall in 2021, when he and longtime labor leader John J. Dougherty were convicted on federal bribery charges. Prosecutors accused Henon of doing the bidding of Dougherty, widely known as “Johnny Doc,” while serving on Council in exchange for a $70,000 union salary that Henon collected along with his city pay. Ultimately, a jury agreed, convicting Henon on 10 counts, including conspiracy, bribery, and honest services fraud.
“I tried my best to help every Philadelphian, especially those who were vulnerable and those in need — please know, I never took a day off,” Henon said during his 2023 sentencing hearing. “By putting the interest of my union first, I failed you.”
“Bobby Henon is still a dues paying member of IBEW Local 98 and, like any other member, he is entitled to solicit his own job,” Mark Lynch Jr., who replaced Dougherty as the union’s business manager, said in a statement. “I can confirm that he is currently working as an electrician at the Convention Center. Bobby paid his dues to society and has every right to seek gainful employment. We wish him all the best.”
Henon is not the only electrician-turned-Council member in recent Philadelphia history to be convicted on corruption charges and seek work as an electrician after being released. Rick Mariano, who represented the 7th District from 1996 to 2006, also got his start as an electrician and tried to return to his original profession after getting out of prison. Mariano, however, told reporters that he struggled to find electrician jobs post-incarceration.
Attempts to reach Henon were unsuccessful Tuesday. He represented the Lower Northeast Philadelphia-based 6th District from January 2012 to January 2022, and was seen as a rising star in Philly Democratic politics until he and Dougherty were indicted in 2019.
Henon was released last month from a federal prison in Lewisburg, Pa., to serve out the remainder of his 3½-year sentence in a Philadelphia halfway house. Dougherty, who was convicted in a separate trial of embezzling union funds and sentenced last summer to serve six years, remains in prison in Lewisburg.