Incumbents voice frustration but still support department

07:01 AM CDT on Tuesday, May 2, 2006

By Donna Fielder / Staff Writer

The Denton Police Officers Association’s endorsement of challengers over incumbents in the upcoming City Council races was “a vote of frustration,” according to an association spokesman.

A note of frustration crept into the incumbents’ responses as well, while challengers said they were honored.

“These endorsements are a direct result of the overall morale of the department in which cumulative factors have created a sentiment for change,” said association president Troy Niv­ens. “It was not a vote against anyone in particular.”

On May 13, voters will de­cide on a new mayor and two council members. Early voting began Monday.

Mayor Euline Brock is vacating the seat because of term limitations. Council member Perry McNeill is running for the seat, along with challengers Bob Clifton and Justin Bell.

For the two at-large seats, incumbent Bob Montgomery is being challenged by John Paul Eddy, and incumbent Joe Mulroy faces challenger Shelley Shay. Newcomer Guy McElroy is the lone candidate for McNeill’s District 4 seat.

Last week, the police association invited all the candidates to a forum and afterward announced endorsements. Last year, the association was recognized by the city as the Police Department’s official bargaining unit, and this was its first foray into city politics.

Nivens, a veteran police detective, said all those who spoke impressed association members.

“All of the candidates spoke in support of the police and fire departments. They all wanted to assist in the growth of the city of Denton,” he said.

Members voted to endorse Bell for mayor and Eddy and Shay for the at-large positions.

“All three were passionate for police and fire issues and showed a desire to efficiently improve the quality of life for city residents. Bob Clifton was supportive and his information was well received by association,” Nivens said.

Pay was the source of much of the frustration, particularly the council’s vote to cut pay for police, firefighters and other general fund employees by 1 percent during a budget crunch in 2004. City staff later found funds to avoid the pay loss. Still, the willingness to sacrifice police pay undercut morale, Nivens said.

“The vote for the salary cut was a major blow to us as well as other general fund employees. That’s unheard of in the modern market,” Nivens said.

He said Denton lags behind other cities in police pay and that makes it harder to get qualified applicants. Some cities are giving thousands in signing bonuses while Denton sent the opposite message, Nivens said.

Bell said he was grateful for the endorsement.

“I’m very honored that the most courageous men and women in Denton have endorsed me. The primary issue in my campaign platform is the city’s responsibility to protect the citizens. And I think that’s something that hasn’t been addressed in a while,” Bell said.

The lack of endorsement took McNeill by surprise.

“After I picked myself up off the floor, I talked to some of the people [officers] I’ve known for years. They weren’t there that night, and they were as amazed as I was,” McNeill said. “The best I can tell, some younger folks don’t really understand the budget process. Part of the frustration was they didn’t get pay raises the last couple of years — nor did anybody else.”

McNeill said he has been a supporter of the department for many years, even before he became a council member. More than a dozen years ago, he founded Support Our Shields, a police support organization that helps buy equipment, provides emergency funding for officers and honors top officers at an annual awards banquet.

McNeill said the council passed funding for five new officers in the 2004-05 budget, and in the current budget, the council funded three new patrol positions, one detective position, an additional school resource officer and two civilian clerical positions.

“It seems to me to be a question of what kind of message were they [the association] trying to send and who were they trying to send it to,” he said.

 If elected mayor, he won’t let the lack of endorsement affect his decisions, McNeill said.

“We have a great department. I’m still proud of them. One of the primary functions of city government is to protect the citizens, and we need to give the department the tools to do it with,” McNeill said.

Clifton could not be reached for comment.

Mulroy said he believes the officers didn’t understand the council’s concerns for them because former high-level city staff didn’t tell them.

“I’m surprised that the policy decisions the council members have taken the last two years were not explained to the rank and file,” he said.

A written supplemental report outlining some staffing issues at the police department was “suppressed” by city management two years ago, but when council members heard about the report, they took action, Mulroy said.

Nivens, acting as an individual resident, brought the report to the council and asked for help. The council responded to the report and raised taxes to fund the new police positions, Mulroy said.

“I believe we demonstrated the highest level of concern. They expressed their needs. We thanked them profusely and we certainly listened. We responded to a very specific problem. But he [Nivens] had to come down as a citizen. It was not in the chain of command. When the rank and file spoke, we listened. We have not heard again from the rank and file. But our record is clear that if there are problems festering, we will take action,” Mulroy said.

“There was a high degree of consternation that [city] senior management suppressed the report. We have new management now,” Mulroy said.

Shay said she was “encouraged and humbled” by the endorsement.

“The DPOA really put their necks on the line to endorse non-incumbents. It is clear that, like so many people I have spoken to at these candidate forums, they are ready for a changing of the guard at City Hall,” Shay said.

Eddy could not be reached for comment.

Montgomery said that the questions officers asked after the contenders’ statements at the forum were mostly about concerns he didn’t know they had. He was not able to adequately respond to those questions because he didn’t have enough information, he said.

“One complaint was they have to walk on a muddy parking lot. That was a surprise,” Montgomery said. “I didn’t know that was true. But you can’t sit up there and make a promise on the spot that you can’t keep.”

Montgomery said voters should watch the forum, which was televised on Channel 25, the city’s public access channel, and is set to be replayed tonight and Thursday. The tape also is available from the public library.

Montgomery said he has always enjoyed a good rapport with the police association. He hopes to shore up the relationship if he is re-elected. He said he’s not sure how the endorsements will hurt his chances.

“I’ve come back across the dance floor without a date before and I’ve survived it,” he said. “And I will again.”

DONNA FIELDER can be reached at 940-566-6885. Her e-mail address is dfielder@dentonrc.com .