In November 1982, Philadelphia City Controller Thomas Leonard resigned his post and announced his intention to run for Mayor[2] (he would ultimately lose the Democratic nomination to Wilson Goode).
Vignola resigned the office of City Controller in December 1987, and subsequently announced his intention to challenge incumbent Republican Senator John Heinz in the 1988 election.
[3] Heinz, who was seeking his third term in the Senate, had amassed considerable political clout, having most recently served as Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
Vignola's candidacy struggled to gain traction, and he was ultimately defeated by over 30 percentage points, or roughly 1.5 million votes, while only carrying one county across the state–Philadelphia.
[6] Vignola resigned his council seat in 1995, after Mayor Ed Rendell appointed him executive director of the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority (PICA).