Public Safety Director Frank Straub Continues to Sink Ballard Administration; Fraternal Order of Police Reverses Direction and Endorses Melina Kennedy

Public Safety Director Frank Straub

When the obituary of the administration of Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard is written it will be prominently noted that a major factor in its fall was the Mayor's unwavering support of Public Safety Director Frank Straub, a man reviled by virtually everyone in the police department.  Straub is most famous for expensive renovations to his office, demanding officers stand at attention when he enters the room, his insistence on being called a "Doctor," and employing expensive consultants.  It is not a stretch to say that Straub has major character flaws that have affected his work performance.

The irony is that Straub is a liberal Democrat from New York.  Many local Republicans say - half jokingly - that the Democrats planted Straub in the Ballard administration to o bring down the Mayor. 

A Mayor with strong leadership qualities would have canned Straub long ago.  Ballard didn't do that. Tonight he paid the price when the Fraternal Order of Police, which enthusiastically supported Ballard in 2007, turned sharply against him. WTHR reports:

Indianapolis - The city's police union endorsed Democrat Melinda Kennedy Thursday night in her challenge against Republican Mayor Greg Ballard.

One-hundred-twenty-five FOP members voted for Kennedy while 36 voted for Mayor Ballard after hearing from both candidates.

...
Earlier this year police union members said they were frustrated with Mayor Ballard's Public Safety Director Frank Straub.

The significance of this vote cannot be overlooked. Police officers are a major local voting block in local politics.  We're not only talking police officers, but their friends and family.  Plus, members of the FOP tend to be conservative in their politics.  The FOP not only endorsed Ballard in 2007, but also endorsed Republican mayoral candidates Greg Jordan in 2003 and Sue Anne Gilroy in 1999. I'm not sure the last Democratic mayoral candidate the FOP endorsed.   It's been at least since the time of the Goldsmith administrations, possibly even before that.