Elections are a busy time for John J. "Johnny
Doc" Dougherty, who, along with his union, is backing his brother Kevin
Dougherty's campaign for a seat on Pennsylvania's Supreme Court.
"Who would you support? Someone who lives 400 miles
away, or your brother?" Dougherty said. "My mom raised both of us to
be for each other all the time."
It's what brothers do, but in this case, John Dougherty
can call on his union brothers, who have donated hundreds of thousands of
dollars to support Kevin Dougherty and Democratic mayoral candidate Jim Kenney.
As business manager, Dougherty, 55, leads one of the
city's most powerful unions, Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of
Electrical Workers, with 4,500 members and a well-financed political war chest.
"My brother Kevin is a great candidate in his own
right," Dougherty said. "I've invested in [many] Democrats with
significant amounts of money because of how they stand on positions we stand
for.
"I'm a hired gun for these kids," he said of
union members. "Health care, defined pensions are important to us.
Prevailing wages are important, but so is public education, because my family
has lived in Philly for over 100 years."
How much influence will you have in the Kenney
administration, if he wins?
Jim Kenney is his own guy. We and the other unions are
supporting him because he's always stood up for working families. The entire
notion of outside influence is overblown. I don't see when I would ask Jim
Kenney to do anything.
On Dec. 1, you'll replace Patrick Gillespie as leader of
the Philadelphia Building Trades Council.
I'm a big Pat Gillespie fan - the transition between Pat
and myself has been seamless. Even with all our minor dysfunctions, we are
probably still the best building trades in America. My goal is to modernize us.
Pat had two feet in the past and one in the future. I have two in the future
and one in the past. So, I want to start to brand us a bit better.
You've mentioned how Local 98's pension fund invested in
several Center City real estate projects. Any plans to expand that through the
Council?
I'm looking forward to having our own real estate
investment fund centered in Philly for Southeastern Pennsylvania. The initial
basis for the funding will be union pension funds, but municipalities or
whoever could invest.
You mentioned the condo building at 21st and Chestnut
that was recently sold. Is that what you mean?
It was a $60 million [investment] and it just got sold
for $100 million.
The Metropolitan Regional Council of Carpenters, led by
Edward Coryell, isn't part of the Council. Will that change?
It will be on my wish list. I'm going to do everything to
sell Ed on the fact that we are much stronger as a whole and that the program
I'm going to initiate will be good for him.
Are there hard feelings over the Convention Center? You
led union electricians across a Carpenters' picket line after they lost the
right to work there. Meeting planners say the Center is now more user-friendly.
It's an uncomfortable issue for a lot of people inside
the industry. I believe we could have made these same changes with carpenters
in the process. I've been saying for years that the [Center's] management was
heavily bureaucratic and patronage-laden. So, I don't believe the carpenters'
not being in the facility is the reason that the convention center has [improved].
What changed?
I think the [work rule] flexibility that the other unions
have agreed to is [a factor, as is] private management.
Do you have a bad temper?
No one's ever seen me throw a fit. I might have a minor
slip-up, but I don't swear. I actually like people.
What's your best leadership trait?
I'm not afraid to lead. How can you influence public
opinion if you don't have an opinion yourself? You can't be afraid of any
topic. You can't be paralyzed by politics. You have to have the ability to
communicate.
Interview questions and answers have been edited for
space.
Source: Philly.com
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