Expressions of support for Portland police union are pouring in quietly

The Portland Police Association, which represents sworn police officers in the Portland Police Bureau, secretly endorsed Portland City Council candidates running in District 4 and District 1, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

The police union endorsed four candidates in the Fourth District on Portland’s west side: addiction therapist Tony Morse, Assembly Attorney Olivia Clark, Eric Zimmerman, chief of staff to Multnomah County Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards, and Eli Arnold, a bicycle cop and union member.

The police union has not publicly announced who it supports and declined to provide a list WWUnion President Aaron Schmautz confirmed support in District 4, which covers the west side and a small portion of the southeast, and District 1, which covers all of Portland east of I-205.

The police union supported only one candidate in the 1st District on the eastern edge of the city: Terrence Hayes, a small business owner and formerly incarcerated black man whose cousin Quanice Hayes was shot and killed by a Portland police officer in 2017.

The union has not yet endorsed District 2, which covers North and Northeast Portland, and District 3, which covers most of the Southeast. Schmautz says the union is still reviewing those candidates.

An endorsement from the PPA faced some challenges during the 2020 protests for racial justice following the killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis. But as public opinion in Portland has become more receptive to the police – and actually seems to favor strengthening the police ranks – an endorsement from more candidates could be welcomed.

In a statement of her support, Clark said, “Public safety is a primary responsibility of local governments, whether on the streets, in our neighborhoods or in our homes.”

Morse says he is proud of the union’s support: “Those of us who have worked in addiction and recovery policy know that both police officers and mental health professionals play a critical role in solving Portland’s addiction crisis.”

Zimmerman says he is “glad for the support,” adding, “I know we can work together and I look forward to it.”

The union endorsed City Commissioner Rene Gonzalez in the mayoral race last month.