Troopers endorse Swann
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HARRISBURG -- State troopers say the governor's office has continually snubbed them during discussions of police staffing and funding.
Yesterday, the Pennsylvania State Troopers Association returned the rebuff when it endorsed Republican Lynn Swann for governor.
At the crux of the union's endorsement decision is Gov. Ed Rendell's effort to replace troopers who perform clerical duties with lower-paid civilians.
Union officials want to weigh in and say Mr. Rendell has been unwilling to meet with them, although the governor has made staff members available for talks.
"His staff has isolated him from me," said Bruce A. Edwards, president of the troopers union. "All I ask is that we sit down and talk about the issues where we disagree."
Mr. Swann, meanwhile, appears more willing to talk and already has met with union officials three times, Mr. Edwards said.
Mr. Swann has made only one promise to the union: If elected, he would listen before making decisions to reallocate police manpower.
"You can't make these decisions without first talking to the state troopers," Mr. Swann said yesterday during a press conference outside union offices. "The days are long past when a governor can sit in an office, talk to a few of his pals and make a decision."
Mr. Edwards agreed.
"It's important for the governor ... to listen to all people. If some of the voices are being shut to you, you can't make the best decisions," he said.
It makes sense for civilians to perform some desk duties now done by troopers, but not technical duties that require training, as Mr. Rendell has proposed, he said.
Mr. Rendell's campaign spokesman, though, says the changes his boss wants are reasonable and necessary.
"There are quite a number of functions that we simply do not need state troopers to do, and they have fought that," said the spokesman, Dan Fee. "Things like who's in charge of supplies. They want a state trooper to be in charge of that."
Mr. Fee said the troopers' endorsement of Mr. Swann has nothing to do with the candidates' positions on public safety and everything to do with union issues.
"They're mad because we wanted more of them out from behind desks and they were worried that would lead to a decrease in their membership," Mr. Fee said.
Mr. Rendell has a strong record on crime and public safety, Mr. Fee said.
"Pennsylvania has the highest number of troopers in our history. The governor is pushing to make our streets safer and he has included additional funding to provide bulletproof vests for troopers," he said.
Labor unions are wont to support Democrats, not Republicans, who often are seen as pro-business and anti-labor. Not so in the case of the troopers union, which four years ago endorsed another Republican and Rendell opponent, Mike Fisher, for governor.
The Pennsylvania State Troopers Association represents 7,500 active and retired troopers.
First Published August 26, 2006 12:00 am
