FAYETTEVILLE — Police officers and firefighters are knocking on doors in Fayetteville neighborhoods, but not because of an emergency or investigation. In Springdale, firefighters are buying newspaper ads that say nothing about chimney safety nor heating tips.
Police and firefighters are hitting the streets and working the phones for city council candidates the Fraternal Order of Police and International Association of Firefighters groups have endorsed. Groups backing their preferred candidate are doing whatever they can to help before Tuesday’s elections.
While police and firefighter organizations have endorsed candidates in Springdale City Council races before, those endorsements have been rare in Fayetteville. It doesn’t happen at all in other areas of Northwest Arkansas.
“We got involved in the mayor’s race two years ago, and that sort of guided us into making some council endorsements this time,” said Sgt. Dominic Swanfeld of the Fayetteville Police Department’s chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police. “It’s definitely increasing in terms of our involvement.”
In Springdale, police have a bit more experience in the endorsement game, and firefighters have endorsed candidates for mayor and City Council for more than a decade, according to union officials.
“Legislation, locally and at a state or national level, controls everything we do ,” said Dean Bitner of the Springdale international chapter. “Our options were to sit on our duffs and take whatever comes, or get out and take an active role.”
Not much research has been conducted on the benefit local candidates glean from group endorsements, said Janine Parry, a University of Arkansas political science professor.
“I’d guess the numbers of volunteers a group provides is probably the biggest effect, but nobody’s ever really looked at it,” Parry said. “Candidates on the state and national level fight hard for endorsements because they represent voter access, the volunteer hours and sometimes the campaign funding, but I don’t know how that translates to the local level.”
Endorsements can give voters a sense of who the candidate is, said state Rep. Jon Woods, R- Springdale. Woods is running unopposed this year, but has been endorsed by police and fire groups in Springdale before.
“An endorsement gives voters a window into the different sides of a candidate,” Woods said. “Those who don’t have the time to really research candidates themselves can look at endorsements from groups they trust, and it can help them make their decisions.”
Other groups choose to stay on the sidelines during political season.
Sheila Rowden, a kindergarten teacher at Walker Elementary in Springdale and president of the Springdale Education Association, said some local chapters are more involved than others, especially when a “hot topic” of interest to educators is involved.
“We’re not particularly active on the local level this cycle,” she said, “but we’re keeping an eye on some state and national things.”
County and regional chapters of the Arkansas Cattlemen’s Association also stay out of politics, said Denver Logan of Green Forest, vice president of the association’s Area 1, which covers Benton, Carroll, Madison and Washington counties.
“We’ll look at city or county regulations or proposals that deal with agriculture or livestock, but it’s a fairly rare occurrence,” Logan said. “A lot of the policy we’re interested is state-level stuff, and our state association folks handle that.”
Sometimes, police and firefigher groups also stay away from campaigning.
“We have, in the past, made endorsements for sheriff and for prosecutor, but it’s rare,” said Steven Hulsey, president of the fraternal order chapter at the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. “If a candidate wants to talk to our organization, we’ll ask questions and let the members make their own decisions. We’re really set up more as a public-service group than a political animal.”
Participation depends on the candidates, issues and leadership of the group, said Pete Reagan of Fayetteville, a past state president of the International Association of Firefighters.
“Some places, it happens all the time. In others, there’s no participation at all,” Reagan said. “It’s sort of hit and miss as to whether the association is a player in any given election.”
The participation doesn’t always end at a city limit or county line, said Tony Keck, president of the Springdale Fraternal Order of Police chapter. The group has also endorsed candidates in statewide and federal races.
Sometimes, there’s even dissent between police and firefighters.
“We usually partner with the firefighters to offer endorsements,” Keck said. “In 2008, though, we differed on the mayoral candidates, so we sent out a joint endorsement on the council folks and separate ones for the mayor’s race.”