CLEAN SLATE: "WE WILL NOT SEEK POLICE (PBA) UNION ENDORSEMENT"

“The Long Beach Police contract with its enormous salaries, 26% raise, and outrageous severance/termination payouts are breaking the backs of Long Beach Taxpayers. If we are elected, the taxpayers will become the "sacred cows," not the special interests."

Last Wednesday, City Council Candidates Mike Franceschini, Janna Jachniewicz, and Damian Walsh and City Court Judge Candidate Ted Hommel publicly announced that they will not be seeking nor will they accept  the endorsement of the Long Beach Patrolman’s Benevolent Association (PBA).  

According to the candidates, “The Long Beach Police contract with its enormous salaries and outrageous severance/termination payouts are breaking the backs of Long Beach Taxpayers. Two years ago the Long Beach PBA worked long and hard and spent a lot of money to elect the current administration. According to recent report by the Empire Center the Long Beach Police were already the second highest paid city police department in New York State (see page 3 of report). Yet the current administration recently authorized a new and very lucrative 7 year PBA contract which awarded the PBA a 27% pay raise.  In addition to getting current and future pay raises some police officers may be getting a retroactive taxpayer-funded paycheck worth tens of thousands of dollars! We do not agree with that decision and if we were on the city council we would have never authorized such an egregious contract.”

The candidates said, “While we are very appreciative and respectful of all of the hard working city employees and the collective bargaining system we will not be seeking any of the municipal union’s endorsement for the upcoming general election.”

According to a statement made by the candidates they are taking this unprecedented position because, “No elected official should be beholden to any special interest group. We have seen too many sweetheart deals that have been made at the taxpayers’ expense. We are running as independent reform-minded candidates and as such we feel it’s important to take this position for the residents of the city.”

The candidates added, “So please remember that when our opposition tries, and they will, to label us as anti-union – we are not. We stand firmly for openness, fairness and what is right for all of our residents.”

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