Mayoral candidates have not received support

This is the season for political endorsements. In the race for to be the next mayor of Syracuse it seems every other day one campaign or another is announcing an important supporter.  Democrat Stephanie Miner has picked up support from the current mayor and a former mayor. Republican Steve Kimatian has the backing of the current Onondaga County Executive and the former county executive.  Conservative Party candidate Otis Jennings has not enjoyed an abundance of endorsements mostly because of his minor party status. But, one key endorsement has yet to be announced: the backing of the force of 400 Syracuse police officers who will soon have a new boss in City Hall.

We called the Syracuse Police Benevolent Association the other day to see if an endorsement was coming. That was Tuesday. They explained to our newsroom that they would likely endorse Stephanie Miner the next day. But, they said there would not be a news conference and the announcement would come from the campaign and not the union. It didn't have the feel of resounding support. In fact, two days have passed and we haven't heard anything about the PBA endorsement of Miner or either of the other two candidates.

We do know Stephanie Miner was the toughest critic of the police during our debate Monday night on NBC 3. She was sharply critical of the department's relationship with the community. She said," We need to repair the relationships that have been frayed between neighborhoods and the police department."  She did not place specific blame on Chief Gary Miguel instead deferring to the question of blame by saying "it's a fact" the department has a frayed relationship.

It is worth noting this fact: if the PBA endorsement had come out in a typical timely fashion it would have been barely a news story. We probably would have covered the news conference, but it would not have received much time. The absence of the endorsement raises questions. Does it mean the police union does not see a candidate that will support public safety in the way the officers see fit? Or does it mean the department knows change and challenges will come with a new administration looking to shake up the offices at the Public Safety Building.

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