THE UNIONS THAT represent the city’s rank-and-file cops and firefighters—making up the bulk of two city bureaus that, together, eat up much of Portland’s operating budget—have finally thrown their considerable weight behind a mayoral candidate: State Representative Jefferson Smith.
The pick, announced jointly on Monday, April 23, by the Portland Police Association (PPA) and Portland Firefighters Association (PFFA), cements Smith’s status as organized labor’s preferred candidate. It gives him a powerful tool: the ability to cast cops and firefighters in campaign ads, something State Representative Mary Nolan has already done in her increasingly negative campaign against incumbent City Commissioner Amanda Fritz.
In hindsight, the whole thing was likely telegraphed several days ago when retiring Commissioner Randy Leonard, a labor ally and former PFFA president, revealed his own support for Smith.
Presidents from both unions described the endorsement as a move on behalf of workers and reflective of Smith’s history of union support. PPA President Daryl Turner—who last month declared his union’s intent to invest in candidates who might, in turn, be sympathetic to their issues—said that “political record” mattered as much as any public-safety policy differences he and Smith might have.
“We’re looking for a candidate who will be a leader and at least listen,” Turner told me, making sure to mention that he’d met with each major candidate at least twice personally and that each had also visited the PPA’s board.
But we ought not ignore, especially with the PPA, what role policy might have played in the endorsement.
Unlike activist Cameron Whitten and businesswoman Eileen Brady, Smith waited until he was asked by the Mercury to say he agreed with the city’s bid to challenge the reinstatement of Ron Frashour, the cop who killed Aaron Campbell in 2010. And then Smith said he called the PPA right after. (Brady says Turner called her after she publicly emailed her stance; he wasn’t happy.) Smith also is unwilling to commit to ensuring that grand jury transcripts in fatal police shootings remain public—something that benefits both cops and citizens.
Further, while Smith has talked of a “culture change” on the use of force in the police bureau, he has deferred on some specifics, citing an ongoing federal investigation of the bureau.
Interestingly, the one bold thing he’s mentioned—bringing fellow city commissioners to future contract talks to ensure they’re not held in secret [“Behind Closed Doors,” News, June 2]—actually has support from Turner (who argues that would actually make the rest of council accountable for the union’s contract).
Policy and pocketbook issues are also linked. During the last contract, even with the city facing budget cuts and potential cop layoffs, the union traded relatively modest policy concessions for millions in new compensation.
The police union isn’t like other unions. Its members carry guns and are allowed to use deadly force. With ballots dropping in mere days, Smith needs to explain, and fast, why this endorsement won’t keep him from remembering his obligation to the rest of the community, too.
Actually, what they said was that they liked his philosophy of prudence and protection for the general fund, and that he would be a good steward of its budget. What Turner said about wanting someone who listened and was collaborative instead of adversarial was exactly what Randy Leonard said about what makes a good mayor–while also pointing out their policy and style differences.
To roughly admit all that upfront, and then undercut it as a way to bolster the thesis that it’s really policy based business as usual, the evidence is that Smith agreed with the idea of challenging the arbitrator’s decision…just not with the requisite sense of telecommunications urgency? Weak sauce. And which of the people involved here, from Turner to Therault to any of the other major candidates, graduated Harvard Law besides Smith? Maybe the lawyer guy might know something about why it’s not NECESSARILY a good idea to make grand jury transcripts public. I don’t know–I didn’t go to HL, either. And maybe there’s no gain in calling out a perceived culture when an outside audit of that culture is imminently forthcoming.
Interesting that there’s no mention of Occupy in all this. Is the crony of the cops union really the same guy who stood up for the encampment and what it stood for, the longest and loudest? And if he’s in thrall to the cops, why not be in thrall to the labor unions and go ahead and say build the bridge? Why intentionally oppose it knowing you’ll lose the endorsement (which he did of course, to the person who most enthusiastically said build it!) Why be ethical with one union and corrupt with another? Doesn’t make any sense–unless he’s actually thinking it through, taking a position, and sticking to it based on his values and the values of Portland, endorsements be damned. And maybe some endorsers just like that about him.
So is one of the candidates qualified and intersted in properly negotiating contracts which benefit the employer and do not allow sluffing and further employment of persons responsible for deaths, maiming, shooting with very expensive and accurate scoped rifles breaking of arms of persons not committing a crime ? Possibly they are so interested in impressing members of these two actually small contingents of union members they forget the rest of us. That would be those walking around the city who would like protection from onerous and overly generous contracts and disicipline treatments !! 2 % extra for college grads, when all these guys were college grads, extra OT for a cotton swab which could be taken at ends of shifts , attorneys for the guys like Humphreys who was at fault in many many cases before he was forced into mental leave… who needs this kind of waste when the schools are funded like old toilets.