Political Endorsements
Lending Our Support
We are fortunate here in Benicia to live and work in a community that values neighborhoods, families and public safety. We also have our challenges and we look to our elected representatives on the City Council to help address them.
The Benicia Police Officers' Association is a non-profit organization that represents the sworn police officers and sergeants of the Benicia Police Department. We are dedicated to improving the working conditions of its members as well as being actively involved in the community we serve.
The BPOA is certainly not new to the community, but we are relatively new to the political process. We have decided to participate actively in the November 2016 election cycle because we want to make sure that a vibrant, safe and economically prosperous Benicia remains available to its residents for the decades to come.
Two issues are of particular concern to our rank-and-file officers. First, we need to continue to diversify and develop our local economy so that businesses of all sizes can thrive and create opportunity. Second, we need to make sure we have revenue sufficient to fund our police, fire and other essential services, while avoiding tax increases that hit working families the hardest.
These two factors are closely related. Without economic growth, we lack the tax base to adequately fund public services. We also lose the opportunity to create good-paying jobs, one of the best antidotes to crime. Benicia police officers are also on the lower end of the pay and benefit spectrum for the region, and we are concerned about recruitment and retention. A strong tax base helps us address this challenge.
We chose to endorse candidates who share our vision of a safe and prosperous Benicia. For City of Benicia offices, we support Mark Hughes for Benicia mayor and Christina Strawbridge and Lionel Largaespada for City Council. For state and regional offices representing Benicia, we support Tim Grayson for Assembly and Mike Ioakimedes for Supervisor.
Hughes was elected to the Benicia City Council in 2006 and currently serves as the city’s Vice Mayor. He is running against incumbent mayor Elizabeth Patterson. Strawbridge is a small business owner who was first elected to the council in 2011. Largaespada is a marketing consultant and vice chair of city’s economic development board. In the Assembly and Supervisor races, Grayson is former Concord mayor and current chaplain for the city’s police department. Ioakimedes is a former Benicia councilmember and small business owners.
All five candidates are strong partners of law enforcement who will help us keep Benicia safe, support our business community and be responsible stewards of our tax dollars. We endorse them enthusiastically and hope you will join us in lending your support.