Bobby Henon resigns from council committee leadership roles after conviction in bribery trial
Henon has not resigned from his position on City Council. Under Pennsylvania law, he would not have to until his sentencing.
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Philadelphia City Councilmember Bobby Henon has resigned from his leadership roles on four council committees after he was found guilty of conspiracy and fraud charges earlier this week.
Henon made the announcement Wednesday night in a letter to Council President Darrell Clarke.
The councilmember says he's relinquishing his roles as the Chair of the Committee on Public Property and Public Works, the Chair of the Committee on Licenses and Inspections, the Vice Chair of the Finance Committee and the Vice Chair of the Committee on Public Health and Human Services.
"As I take steps to implement a responsible and deliberate transition, I ask that these Committee responsibilities be reassigned to other members of City Council so that the Committees may proceed with their work without distraction or delay," said Henon.
Henon has not resigned from his position on City Council. Under Pennsylvania law, he would not have to until his sentencing which is scheduled for February.
Henon and co-defendant John Dougherty, longtime business manager of Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, were convicted Monday of conspiracy and honest services wire fraud. Henon was also convicted of bribery. Both were acquitted of some charges.
SEE ALSO: Union boss John Dougherty, Philadelphia Councilman Bobby Henon found guilty in corruption trial
Dougherty resigned from his position Tuesday, ending his nearly three-decade tenure at the union's helm, and said he also planned to resign as business manager of the Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council, an umbrella organization of the city's trade unions that he has led since 2015, the newspaper reported.
Prosecutors said Dougherty gave Henon, a union electrician-turned-Philadelphia City Council member, a union-paid no-show job to ensure Henon did the union's bidding. Dougherty's lawyers contended that he exerted no undue influence and that the city allows council members to hold outside jobs.
Henon's defense said the case amounted to criminalizing the legislative process and treating the union differently than other groups that lobby lawmakers. Henon was elected in 2011 and has represented his district covering parts of northeast Philadelphia for three terms.
Dougherty - known widely by his nickname "Johnny Doc" - has been a major force in Pennsylvania politics, steering millions in union campaign contributions to candidates for political office, including his brother, who was elected as a state Supreme Court justice in 2015.
Dougherty still faces at least one more federal trial based on charges in the sweeping 2019 indictment.
