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The feuding between local factions of the Democratic Party has resulted in a primary challenger for First District Councilman Frank DiCicco.
Civic leader Vernon Anastasio filed a nomination petition with the city on Tuesday that contained 6,000 signatures. Council candidates must obtain 750 to appear on the May 20 primary ballot.
DiCicco is not surprised to have competition. Since the summer, chatter about another Democrat entering the race has abounded — a candidate backed by John Dougherty, business manager for Electricians Local 98, close ally of Mayor John Street and avowed rival of DiCicco’s political pal, state Sen. Vince Fumo.
Now it’s official, except that Anastasio is denying he is the union leader’s handpicked guy. DiCicco does not believe it — and despite "being followed constantly by people" — he believes union members have been trailing him "for the last 15 months" — he remains confident in his reelection chances.
"At the end of the day I will be successful," the councilman said. "When we get into the campaign and speak about the accomplishments of my seven years in office, the voters in the district will reelect me to serve them for another term."
Anastasio emerged as a candidate from the mayhem of Mardi Gras 2001.
After rioters tore apart South Street and the surrounding neighborhoods, he and members of the Bella Vista United Civic Association — the group he headed — set out on a mission to prevent a repeat in 2002.
At the same time, DiCicco worked on legislation in Council and organized the community and business associations to form the South Street Alliance. In February 2002, Anastasio stood with DiCicco and other civic leaders as the councilman spoke out against bar owners promoting Mardi Gras events.
From there, the two split. Anastasio began attracting his own attention, first by calling for a boycott of a local radio station promoting Mardi Gras and promising to sue the city if properties in Bella Vista were damaged. Then, the day after the festival, he called a press conference to report on the aftermath at the same time DiCicco held one in City Hall.
"I found that to be disrespectful to the alliance," DiCicco said this week. "I thought that was counterproductive to what the alliance was trying to create."
Aside from Mardi Gras, the 56-year-old incumbent has taken on issues that he believes are key to people moving to and staying in the city.
DiCicco’s higher-profile concerns have included cosponsoring a bill to lower the city wage tax and organizing a campaign for homeowners to appeal property-tax increases. Locally, the councilman has spurred a cleanup of the Italian Market.
Anastasio repeatedly denied that he was positioning himself to challenge DiCicco over the past year.
The rivalry between the two culminated in the middle of last year when the city launched a six-week investigation into Anastasio’s work activities. A staff member in DiCicco’s office alleged Anastasio had been running the foundation for a political campaign from his desk at the Human Relations Commission, both candidates confirm.
The charges were dropped, and Anastasio kept his job. In July, DiCicco invited Anastasio to lunch to discuss the "misunderstanding," he said. He told Anastasio he was not behind the investigation.
Instead, the councilman said, a staff member had acted on his own, reacting to complaints that Anastasio had been sending e-mails about his civic association from his work computer.
DiCicco said he told Anastasio he wished the staffer — whom DiCicco declined to name but said still works for his office — had approached him rather than Anastasio’s boss. That way, he said, the investigation could have been avoided.
Both men said the lunch ended cordially with a handshake, but they disagree about their parting words.
"He informed me with a handshake that he was not running, and thought I was doing a good job." DiCicco said. "Maybe I’m a little old-fashioned. When you shake somebody’s hand and give somebody your word, that’s all you have in this business is your word."
Anastasio claims he never offered the praise.
"It is kind of ridiculous to think I would then praise the person who tried to take my livelihood from me," he said.
Anastasio, 33, a lifelong South Philly resident, is best known in his neighborhood as founder and former president of Bella Vista United Civic Association. Last July, he started the Reasons to Stay Network, an umbrella civic association formed of neighborhood groups from throughout the city.
He began his career in public service 10 years ago as a constituent-services representative for former Councilman Joe Vignola. >From there, Anastasio moved on to the city Human Relations Commission, where he worked as a supervisor.
In October, Anastasio became chief of staff for state Rep. Babette Josephs.
Anastasio calls his platform the "Blueprint for Positive Change." It includes plans to cut taxes, clean streets and improve parking, as well as an economic development plan.
A Third Democratic candidate was expected to enter the race, but opted not to. Henry Lewandowski 3d is an attorney from the 300 block of Wolf Street and a member of the Whitman Council. He said he is also a close friend of John Dougherty.
Yet, Lewandowski, 28, decided not to file on Tuesday his nomination petition along with the 3,000 signatures he collected because of the birth of his son last month, he said.
Lewandowski spoke with Dougherty on Tuesday afternoon about his decision. According to Lewandowski, the union leader told him he would have backed him had he run.
Anastasio welcomed the union leader’s support but denied being the chosen one. The two have had conversations about the election, and Anastasio said Dougherty was "a little surprised at first" when he told him he was running.
"I did not ask John Dougherty for permission to run. He did not ask me to be his handpicked candidate," Anastasio said. "I am the handpicked candidate of the neighborhoods of the First District."
DiCicco does not believe it.
"I don’t know how he denies it," he said.
The councilman said he has seen people in his neighborhood wearing jackets with Local 98 and Cement Masons and Plasterers Local 592 insignias circulating nomination petitions. Local 592 president and business manager Michael Fera is closely aligned with Dougherty. Fera also reportedly attended Anastasio’s campaign kickoff on Feb. 26.
"Anastasio is a John Dougherty guy — there is no question about it," DiCicco said. "And you know who Dougherty supports. Dougherty is the mayor’s guy, and that means Vernon’s the mayor’s guy."
Dougherty did not return calls for comment.
DiCicco has been at odds with the Street administration for at least a year.
Last spring, DiCicco and Councilman Michael Nutter rallied the city behind their legislation to continue cutting the wage tax despite objections from Street. The bill passed unanimously through Council and Street, overwhelmed by the public support, reluctantly signed it into law.
Street and DiCicco also disagree on property-tax reforms. The councilman also accused the mayor of interfering in last summer’s Second Ward election after he was defeated by Dougherty-backed Tony Palmiere for ward leader.
Anastasio denied any allegiance to Street, calling his campaign a third option.
"There is more than one way or the other way," he said. "We are the third way. We are the neighborhood way."
Whoever emerges from this fray will face another challenger in the November election. Richard A. Cataldi, an attorney who lives in Bella Vista, is running for the Council seat on the Republican side of the ballot.
