DV Journal

(This article first appeared in Broad + Liberty.) 

State Senator Jimmy Dillon, a Philadelphia Democrat, has dozens of questionable expenses in his official state spending reports as well as his campaign account, such as summertime gas fill-ups along the Jersey shore, expensive floral purchases, and expenses at bars and restaurants on Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve — but he isn’t talking about them.

Dillon is from Northeast Philly, a place in which politics can sometimes mirror the great Shakesperan or Greek tragedies, where family dynasties rise and fall, and an Achilles heel will most certainly reveal itself and undo even the most well-armored politician.

In Jimmy Dillon’s case, his ascent to his senate seat is due to his brother’s downfall. The elder brother, Shawn Dillon, by all accounts diligently worked his way up the Democratic party ladder serving as a ward leader and more before finally getting his due, the nomination to the Pennsylvania 5th District for a special election when the long-serving John Sabatina moved on to a judge’s bench.

But a paperwork error in 2022 quickly undid all those years of effort, so Shawn Dillon and the party nominated his younger brother Jimmy, a former basketballer at Notre Dame who then began running his own youth basketball clinics in the city. With head-spinning speed, Jimmy Dillon went from youth basketball coach to state senator, seemingly with no appetite or preparation for a life of politics.

With such a short nomination process in 2022, little, if anything, was known about Jimmy. But now the paperwork questions belong to him, not his brother.

Dillon is one of the few state senators who avails himself of a state-leased vehicle for his travel. The exact amount of the lease is unclear. One expense report shows a lease payment of $390. However, two other lease payments ranged as high as $650. Furthermore, documents unearthed by the Pennsylvania Senate Republican Campaign Committee (PASRCC) show Dillon fueling up his vehicle several times in the last three summers on a taxpayer-backed account near the Jersey shore. The fuel-ups totaled over $400.

All of those expenses previously described were assigned to his official state spending accounts, but his campaign finance reports raise questions as well.

Dillon spent at least $1,900 on flowers in 2023 and ‘24, an unusual campaign expense. The PASRCC also points to some questionable purchases at dining establishments or bars. His campaign records show a $1,000 expense at Macaroni’s on Christmas Day, 2022. In 2023, he had a campaign meeting on New Year’s Eve at an Irish sports pub for $40.00. In September of 2023, he spent a little over $40 on a “meeting” in South Bend, Indiana, roughly one mile from his alma mater, Notre Dame.

(Screenshots from PA campaign finance website. Other floral expenses came through other companies such as NE Flower Boutique and Condolences.com)

On top of all this, the PASRCC has also excavated a document from 2010 showing Dillon being fired from the Pa. Department of Revenue as a district lottery representative. The reasons for the dismissal are redacted in the document. The letter does say Dillon had two “pre-disciplinary” conferences in the months leading up to his firing, but that the “explanation you [Dillon] provided was unacceptable, therefore, this discipline is warranted.”

Requests for comment to Dillon’s campaign as well as through his senate office were not returned.

Dillon faced another scandal earlier this month when Delaware Valley Journal broke news of racially charged social media posts on Dillon’s X account that used an ethnic slur. Dillon explained the posts by saying his account was accessible to many people through his work as a basketball coach.

“As a coach, I work with kids to teach them how to play basketball and learn skills both on and off the court,” NBC 10 reported Dillon as saying. “I’m not a big social media guy. If a basketball player who works with Hoops 24-7 posted something like this more than a decade ago, it’s the first I’ve heard about it, and it doesn’t reflect my values. My focus has been and will continue to be standing up to MAGA extremists and protecting women’s reproductive rights. Nothing changes that.”

The posts were taken down at almost the same time the first news stories were breaking.

DVJ also broke news about Dillon “facing an outstanding warrant from the state of New Jersey for failure to pay his fines for traffic offenses and failure to appear in court.

“Voters need to know that Senator Jimmy Dillon uses taxpayer funds to fuel up at the Jersey Shore for his vacations. It’s an irresponsible and inappropriate use of taxpayer funds, all while his constituents had to pay for higher gas prices when he opposed stopping the automatic gas tax increases,” said PA SRCC communications director Michael Straw.

“With inflation hurting Pennsylvanians, many are having trouble affording their own vacations, and now they have to pay for Jimmy Dillon’s too. Jimmy Dillon shouldn’t be a Senator, he’s not cut out to manage anything appropriately, not even his own social media accounts.”

What a difference a tweet makes.

Less than a month before the general election, the race for the state Senate seat in Northeast Philadelphia, now held by Sen. Jimmy Dillon (D-Philadelphia), has gone from leaning Democratic to a toss-up, according to an evaluation by CN Analysis.

Republican Joe Picozzi told DVJournal he’s not surprised.

“Our momentum is incredible,” said Picozzi, 29. “People here in Northeast Philly are gunning for change. They’re drawn to a young, energetic, and vibrant campaign that’s full of hope.”

Picozzi said he and his campaign volunteers have knocked on “tens of thousands” of doors. “We’re getting out our message. People here are really craving change.”

Dillon, 45, has been mocked by critics as the “accidental senator,” placed on the ballot by Democratic Party insiders only when his better-known brother failed to meet the ethics requirements to run for the seat.

Dillon has faced tough questions during this campaign about social media posts from a decade ago using problematic language under his @Hoops24_7 Twitter handle. The posts included the “N” word and a gay slur. Dillon also had an outstanding arrest warrant for failing to pay traffic violation penalties in New Jersey.

“Jimmy Dillon has once again demonstrated that he doesn’t have the character nor temperament to be a leader in Harrisburg, and today’s allegation added another twist to his disturbing past,” said RSLC Deputy Communications Director Mason Di Palma. “While the latest allegation is shocking, it is not surprising, and while Jimmy Dillion looks to blame everyone but himself, his colleagues have remained silent, which speaks to their hypocrisies. If Democrats can’t condemn one of their colleagues for alleged heinous actions like these, how can we trust their judgment to lead in Harrisburg?”

Picozzi grew up in Somerton and is an Eagle Scout who Councilman Brian O’Neill appointed to serve on the Philadelphia Youth Commission. He had worked for the Manhattan Institute, a think tank. After graduating from Holy Ghost prep, he studied government at Georgetown University and worked for the U.S. House of Representatives in public policy. If elected, Picozzi sees crime and education reform as two issues he’d tackle.

Dillon became a state senator in 2022. He won a special election after the sitting Democratic senator was appointed to the bench. Dillon’s brother, Shawn, was going to fill the vacancy but was bumped from the ballot after he failed to file documents required under the state’s ethics laws. Party insiders then chose Dillon to replace his brother.

Dillon played basketball for Notre Dame and runs Hoops 24-7 Basketball Academy, a chain of 27 gyms.

Sen. Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia) said, “The people Jimmy Dillon know what he’s worked on, know that his values are much greater than those represented in those tweets.” Hughes is the chair of the Pennsylvania SDCC.

Mark Nevins, a political advisor to the Dillon campaign, came out swinging.

“Anyone who knows Northeast Philly knows it’s always a battle. That’s no surprise,” said Nevins. “But voters have a pretty clear choice. Jimmy Dillon, who’s the only Democrat in the Senate to support impeaching Larry Krasner, or Joe Picozzi, who is part of the wacko wing of the Republican Party and is backed by the same crackpots who want to take away women’s basic rights. That’s not going to go well for Picozzi. He’s just too extreme for the district.”

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After the Delaware Valley Journal broke the story about state Sen. Jimmy Dillon’s basketball academy Twitter account harboring posts with the “N” word, an LGBTQ insult and insults against Asians, Dillon blamed the offending posts on his players.

“As a coach, I work with kids to teach them how to play basketball and learn skills both on and off the court. I’m not a big social media guy. If basketball players who work with Hoops 24-7 posted something like this more than a decade ago, it’s the first I’ve heard about it,” Dillon said in a statement to DVJournal.

Nobody disputes that the Twitter account, @Hoops24_7, belongs to the basketball academy the Philadelphia Democrat founded. And the account is full of posts featuring references to @senjimmydillon and political activities engaged in by Dillon.

What Dillon and his campaign dispute is the claim that he posted the specific posts with the offensive language.

However, Michael Straw, communications director for the Pennsylvania Senate Republican Campaign Committee, pointed to other tweets that appear to show Dillon controlled the account at that time.

“He’s posted numerous tweets in the first-person on this account and retweeted official and campaign content as well,” said Straw. “This is classic Senator Jimmy Dillon, running away from the problem and not wanting to be held accountable. Just like when the arrest warrant was uncovered, he ran away from it for 20 years.”

Also notable: When DVJournal contacted the campaign for a response late Monday night, the offensive posts were quickly deleted.

Dillon’s campaign dismissed the story as a “phony MAGA Republican distraction,” said spokesman Mark Nevins.

“They’re taking decades-old tweets someone else wrote and waving them around like a bunch of maniacs. Meanwhile, they’re hoping we’re too dumb to notice that, at the same time, they’re trying to rip away women’s reproductive rights, prevent access to IVF treatments, and block commonsense gun violence legislation.

“Sorry, weirdos.  It’s not happening,” said Nevins.

Dillon’s Republican opponent, Joe Picozzi — an Eagle Scout who was appointed by City Councilman Brian O’Neill to serve on the Philadelphia Youth Commission — declined to comment on the unsavory tweets.

“My focus is on delivering real change for the people of Northeast Philadelphia. Crime’s going out of control. People can’t afford to pay for their groceries. My focus is on delivering results for the people here,” Picozzi told DVJournal.

Albert Eisenberg a political consultant from Philadelphia with BlueStateRed, called the Twitter posts on Dillon’s account “appalling,” “bizarre,” and “disqualifying.”

“If Democrats have any consistency, they would revoke their endorsements of this guy that’s been spewing slurs and deleted them after being contacted. So, clearly, it was him,” said Eisenberg.

Pennsylvania House Speaker Joanne McClinton declined to comment about the Dillon revelations. Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (D-Philadelphia), a candidate for state auditor general, did not respond when asked to comment, nor did Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny). The Philadelphia branch of the NAACP did not respond to a request for comment.

Brittany Crampsie, spokesperson for the Senate Democratic Campaign Committee, said, “Senator Dillon’s record speaks for itself. At every opportunity, he has been a strong advocate and a consistent vote in support of Black and LGBTQ Pennsylvanians. He has nurtured and trained young people from all backgrounds his entire career. Distasteful tweets from more than a decade ago written by someone else don’t change that.”

Dillon became a state Senator in 2022. He won a special election after the sitting Democratic senator was appointed to the bench. Dillon’s brother, Shawn, was going to fill the vacancy but was bumped from the ballot after he failed to file documents required under the state’s ethics laws.  Party insiders then chose Dillon to replace his brother.

This is not Dillon’s first controversy of the campaign. Previously, the DVJournal reported that Dillon had an outstanding warrant from New Jersey due to unpaid traffic ticket fines and failure to appear in court.

Democratic state Sen. Jimmy Dillon (D-Philadelphia) is hoping voters will show up for him on Election Day, despite the fact that he didn’t show up in court as required by law.

As a result, the Philly Democrat is facing an outstanding warrant from the state of New Jersey for failure to pay his fines for traffic offenses and failure to appear in court.

Now Pennsylvania Republicans are running ads letting voters know about Dillon’s scofflaw ways.

“Jimmy Dillon doesn’t play by the same rules we do,” the ad says. “We need a change.”

Pennsylvania Senate Republican Campaign Committee Communications Director Michael Straw told DVJournal, “No one is above the law, not even Jimmy Dillon.

“The citizens in Northeast Philly are good, honest, hard-working people. They certainly pay fines for their traffic violations, and their state senator should be playing by the same rules. Party bosses hand-picked Dillon in a last-minute backroom deal to replace his brother as a candidate in the special election. Now, the more we find out about Jimmy Dillon, the less there is to like.

“It really begs the question, what else don’t we know about him?” Straw added.

Dillon was handpicked by Democratic Party insiders to fill a vacancy in a 2022 special election when his brother Shawn Dillon was forced off the ballot due to legal challenges. Shawn Dillon failed to file documents required under the state’s ethics laws.

Dillon, 45, did not reply to requests for comment.

Dillon’s outstanding warrant dates from 2004 and is from Tuckahoe, N.J., Dennis Township Municipal Court Administrator Lauren Reddy verified that the warrant is valid and still outstanding. Reddy said it was for a speeding ticket and driving without a license.

“We feel it’s important that voters know the real Jimmy Dillon and that he doesn’t play by the rules as everyone else does in Northeast Philly,” said Straw. “No one else can refuse to pay fines or show up in court.”

Picozzi, 29, declined to comment on Dillon’s legal woes. But he did tell DVJournal he decided to run because Northeast Philadelphia is no longer the safe neighborhood he grew up in.

“I could ride my bike around as late as I wanted to, and my parents didn’t have to worry,” said Picozzi. “That’s not the childhood kids in the Northeast are having now. Violent crime has exploded up here.”

He noted there was just a triple shooting the other day at Bustleton Avenue and Tomlinson Road.  And in March, eight Northeast High School students were shot at five points.

Asked what he would do if elected to the state Senate, Picozzi said he’d make sure the Philadelphia police got more funding and would be an engaged leader, working with the town watches to “make the neighborhood safer.”

Joe Picozzi campaigning

He’d also continue to fight to remove progressive District Attorney Larry Krasner.

“We’re going to really push to get him out of there,” said Picozzi.  About Krasner seeking a third term, Picozzi said, “There’s no accountability there. These people get elected, do a terrible job, and they think, ‘Well, I’m a Democrat in Philly. I don’t have to worry. Why do I have to work? Why do I have to care?’”

“I’m running on three issues: public safety, public safety, public safety,” said Picozzi. He would also like to see more security cameras installed, and to start more summer programs for kids and “after school programs, vocational training programs, extracurricular activities, things to keep them motivated, connect them with good mentors and job opportunities.

“If a kid has a summer job, they’re far more likely to graduate high school,” said Picozzi.

When Picozzi was in high school, Councilman Brian O’Neill recommended him for the Youth Commission, where he learned about government.   An Eagle Scout, Picozzi studied government at Georgetown, worked on Capitol Hill and was chief of staff for the Manhattan Institute, a think tank.

“I think we need new leadership with fresh ideas,” said Picozzi. “It doesn’t matter if people are Republicans, Democrats, Independents. If you don’t like the direction that things are heading in Northeast Philadelphia, just give me a chance.”

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