Indictments could imperil Dougherty's allies, sap the mayor's political capital, and reshape organized labor in one of the last remaining cities in the country where unions are a powerful force. They could take out one of the last old-school political bosses in America — a person who some call the most powerful man in Philadelphia."

In recent years, politicians being investigated by the FBI have all followed a very familiar pattern of resigning in a timeframe convenient to create the conditions for an open primary to replace them. Bob Brady, Chaka Fattah, and Seth Williams all fit the pattern, and it seems like it's no coincidence. Try to imagine any of these men voluntarily giving up the right to hand-pick their replacements, with no outside coercion—it's unthinkable.



So with the first Mayoral and Council election cycle coming up since the investigation first began post-2015, it will be interesting to see if the FBI decides that anyone they're currently investigating should also resign with time to spare for an open primary, or if the feds will make any moves to weaken the influence of Pennsylvania's largest political giver ahead of an election cycle where he'll otherwise have an opening to strengthen his influence on City Council for another 4 years.



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