Council hopefuls miffed by police union

5th ward candidate Carolyn Tillman said the union granted her an appointment, but then canceled and promised to reschedule. Tillman said the next news she heard was that they had backed incumbent Chas Kelley.
5th ward hopeful Rick Avila said he didn't get an interview. James Mulvihill, running against 7th ward candidate Wendy McCammack, said he got an interview with two police officers, but never really expected to get the endorsement.
6th ward hopeful Stewart Cumming told the Sun after a Monday podcast that he never had a shot and was miffed that the union didn't send him an invite. 6th ward incumbent Rikke Van Johnson said the union "blew me off."
City Clerk Rachel Clark called the Sun last week to dispute union President Rich Lawhead's statement in the newspaper justifying the union's endorsement of her opponent, Joseph Turner. The union never contacted her, she said.
There may be two streams of motivation here, one to undercut the quality of an endorsement these candidates do not have, and another to question a process that clearly disfavors those without previous ties to the union. In any case, the union could come under still heavier fire depending on how it deals with Turner. The endorsement of the activist firebrand hasn't won it any public support. It remains to be seen what the endorsement entails. If the union pays for signs, pumps him some cash and walks the streets for Joseph Turner, passions in this ethnically diverse town could explode. The question is how hard will the union fight for Joseph Turner?