The St. Paul Police Federation, which represents the city's 650 sworn officers and communications staffers, has endorsed three newcomers for election to City Council seats this fall: Steve Frazer in Ward 7, David Glass in Ward 5 and Rebecca Noecker in Ward 2.
The federation also endorsed two incumbent council members, Dan Bostrom in Ward 6 and Chris Tolbert in Ward 3. No endorsement was made in the First Ward race, where several candidates are challenging Council Member Dai Thao, and in the Fourth Ward race, where City Council President Russ Stark so far faces nominal opposition.
The endorsements are significant. No candidates won DFL Party backing in Wards 5 and 2, both expected to be hotly contested battles. The endorsement will elevate Frazer, a police commander, who lost the DFL endorsement in late balloting to Jane Prince in the Seventh Ward race.
A screening committee interviewed the candidates last month, and made recommendations for the membership to vote on earlier this week. A federation press release said that the candidates "won overwhelmingly, with no opposing votes."
"We believe the leadership of these endorsed candidates will make for a safer St. Paul," federation president Dave Titus said.
