Somehow I overlooked this

Last week's Philadelphia Weekly had a piece by personal fave Gwen Shaffer on the rivalry between Councilman Frank DiCicco and his dogged primary challenger Vern Anastasio. In 2003, Anastasio was bumped from the ballot after a lengthy court challenge by DiCicco (who, according to this piece, was willing to support the younger man if he would wait his turn), but it seems that he's been running for the seat ever since, with opinion pieces (see, e.g., here and here) and other activities keeping his name out there on a regular basis. The rivalry may be a microcosm of more titanic conflicts, as Anastasio's supporter, John Dougherty, has a long-time feud with DiCicco's mentor (and partial employer!), Sen. Vince Fumo. How the two men actually differ on the issues facing their district is almost lost in the shower of sparks (and connections with power brokers of all stripes), but the rivalry has entangled neighborhood matters as simple as the hanging of Christmas lights... Other factors noted here are the power of incumbency in Philadelphia, the changing composition of many of the neighborhoods in this district (which may undermine longterm loyalties), and the backlash against city corruption (which may or may not sustain long enough to affect this match).

(via staff researcher RM)