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A Portland union has issued a solo endorsement in the Portland mayor's race.
Monday, the Portland Police Association endorsed Multnomah County Commissioner Jules Bailey in his race against Oregon Treasurer Ted Wheeler and 11 other candidates.
The cops' call breaks with the practice of other key unions in the May 2016 primary.
Both the firefighters' union and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees issued dual endorsements for Bailey and Wheeler last month. Alan Ferschweiler, president of the firefighters' union, said his members didn't want to risk endorsing the wrong candidate and getting off to a bad start with the winner.
The Portland Association of Teachers union, however, endorsed Bailey.
Union endorsements are crucial to Bailey's campaign, because he has capped individual donations at $250. Union members can knock on doors and donate individually. And unions can make independent expenditures.
Bailey's message apparently appealed to Portland cops, who are the focus of activists' demands for increased accountability. Earlier in his campaign, Bailey pledged to hire more officers and restore funding for the Mounted Patrol Unit.
"The Portland Police Association is proud to endorse Jules Bailey for mayor because he shares our vision; a vision of public service where we have the staffing, resources and ability to proactively serve and protect our communities," a press release from the union reads.
The police union endorsed former state Rep. Jefferson Smith (D-Portland) in the 2012 election, but the group withdrew its endorsement after news reports surfaced that Smith had hit a woman in 1993 when he was a college student. The police union declined to then endorse Charlie Hales, who went on to win the election.
Willamette Week