Incumbents Angered by Union Accusations

The police union’s accusations of political sign tampering have angered two council members who say their reelection campaigns are being falsely implicated.

The Police Officers’ Assn. last week offered a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone caught stealing or defacing a political sign. A union representative said their campaign posters were being “systematically defaced and destroyed by the opposition.”

The union has posted hundreds of signs throughout the city encouraging voters to defeat incumbents Tom Harman and Dave Sullivan. The union has endorsed challengers Pam Julien and Thom Doney.

“It’s a problem that does not exist,” Sullivan said. “The implication is that our supporters are doing this. We’re the ones who are having problems.”

Both Sullivan and Harman said about 100 campaign signs each have been either damaged or stolen.

“I’m not accusing my opposition candidates of doing that,” Harman said. “But I am suspicious that the police union or police union members may be doing this, because of their outspoken opposition to us.”

Police Officers’ Assn. President Richard Wright called Harman’s suspicions “ridiculous.”

“I would be the first person to do everything in my power to go after anybody who is out there defacing signs, no matter who the signs belong to,” Wright said.

Incumbents are also raising additional questions about the off-duty campaign activities of officers, including the alleged intimidation of a local businesswoman over her Harman campaign sign and the display of badges by campaigning officers.

Wright dismissed the allegations, saying officers campaigning door-to-door have contacted about 20,000 residents so far with almost no complaints.

“I doubt that any police officer has gone to anybody’s door brandishing a badge,” Wright said. “I’ve had a report of one person slamming the door in the officer’s face, and that’s it.”