(LM: This is from the Philadelphia Inquirer.)Dougherty said behind office burglaryChristian DiCicco, a candidate for the Pennsylvania state House, said yesterday that his South Philadelphia campaign office was burglarized and cast blame on electricians union leader John Dougherty, who is supporting DiCicco's opponent.
Dougherty - a candidate for state Senate in next month's primary - denied any involvement and said he was not aware of any involvement by State Rep. Bill Keller, the Democratic incumbent facing DiCicco in the primary race for the 184th District.
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Campaign staff for DiCicco, the son of City Councilman Frank DiCicco, told police they walked into their office at 1616 E. Passyunk Ave. yesterday morning and discovered a couch and 10 pictures slashed with a razor or other sharp-edged tool.
Missing were a camera, some policy papers and internal poll data.
Not taken were a $500 radio, a flat-screen TV, and two laptop computers.
"It looks to be an attempt to intimidate the campaign," DiCicco campaign manager Dave Mallet said. "We are not pointing any fingers, but there has been a lot of threatening language to our campaign."
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"We don't have proof of anything, but the fact that the most expensive item they stole was a polling memo. ... Well, we are comfortable making some assumptions," said DiCicco friend Brian Abernathy, a legislative aide on leave from the office of Councilman DiCicco.
It's not clear how anyone might have gotten into the office. There were no broken doors or windows, Abernathy said.
(Link:
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/philadelphia/20080325_Dougherty_said_behind_office_burglary.html)
(LM: Here’s a blast from the past, from a 2002 Philadelphia Weekly. “Fumo” is state senator Vincent Fumo, the DiCicco mentioned is the city councilman, and Dougherty is Dougherty ) “…Fumo claimed Local 98 members hit him with a pickup truck after he saw them hanging anti-DiCicco signs outside his Tasker Street office. Though Fumo didn't press charges--the truck's mirror apparently struck him--he publicly blamed Dougherty...”
(LM: Welcome to Philadelphia. Come to see Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, stay because the politics can be interesting.)