Democratic pols rake in Boston Police union donations

Liberal Democratic pols, some now calling for strong police reform, have raked in hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign donations from Boston Police unions and political action committees, records show

Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu, House Speaker Robert DeLeo, Senate President Karen Spilka and Mayor Marty Walsh are among the scores of elected officials who have gotten significant contributions from Boston Police union groups.

Wu, who just released a plan to “demilitarize” police and redirect police funding in the wake of the George Floyd murder, received a $500 donation from the influential Boston Police Patrolman’s Association last year. She’s gotten more than $2,000 in donations in total from various police unions and political action committees, records show.

DeLeo and his PAC, Committee for a Democratic House, accepted $1,500 in donations last year and this year from the Boston Police Patrolman’s Association, while Spilka got $500 from the same police organization, according to campaign finance records. Spilka has received $6,000 in donations from the Boston Police Patrolman’s PAC since 2002.

Walsh has also been a big beneficiary of the hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations doled out by the Patrolman’s Association, the Boston Police Detectives’ PAC and the Boston Superior Officers’ PAC.

The city’s mayor, now facing political pressure from liberal activists to defund the police, has accepted nearly $8,000 in donations from the various police organizations and unions. Walsh said he is looking to “reallocate” some police spending but has not gone so far as to say he’s looking to defund police.

Some activist groups have called on politicians to return donations they’ve received from police, in the wake of the George killing at the hands of Minneapolis Police.

But if they do return the money, it will be a long list, according to campaign finance records.

From Boston city councilors to influential state reps and other elected leaders, pols have for years been the recipients of coveted police union money and endorsements.

Secretary of State William Galvin got a $500 donation from the Patrolman’s Association and another $500 from the Emergency Medical Services Division of the Patrolman’s Association earlier this year.

Boston City Councilor Anissa Essaibi-George has raked in more than $6,000 from various Boston Police organizations, records show.

State Sen. Michael Rush, D- Boston, Rep. Harold Naughton, D-Clinton, Sen. Nick Collins, D-Boston, Sen. Walter Timilty, D-Norfolk County, Rep. John Lawn, D-Watertown, Rep. Gerald Parisella, D-Beverly, and Boston City Councilor Edward Flynn all received $500 donations from the Patrolman’s Association just this year.

State Reps. Brian Honan, D-Boston, Ruth Balser, D-Newton, Denise Garlick, D-Newton, Joseph McGonagle, D-Everett, Thomas P. Walsh, D-Peabody, Michael Moran, D-Boston, Richard Haggerty, D-Woburn, and Frank Moran, D-Lawrence, all got $500 donations this year from the Emergency Medical Services Division of the Boston Police Patrolman’s Association, records show.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2MInmsU