Union says it only shares the percentages from endorsement

Freeborn County Sheriff Mark Harig questioned the legitimacy of a union endorsement for his opponent because the vote tally has not been divulged.

“I’d like to know the breakdown myself, because personally I know people who didn’t send the ballot back in,” Harig said.

And he said he is still waiting to officially hear from union representatives that local law enforcement officials have decided to throw their support behind opponent Bob Kindler in the sheriff’s race.

“I saw Mike Golan yesterday, and he did not talk about it at all,” Harig said on Tuesday.

Golan is the business agent for the Minnesota Teamsters Public and Law Enforcement Employees Union Local 320, which represents Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office correction officers, licensed patrol deputies and jail sergeants and Albert Lea Police Department officers and dispatchers.

Golan said on Wednesday that he had personally not contacted Harig but said he had spoken with a jail administrator here in Freeborn County and was confident that Harig was made aware of the announcement.

Golan also confirmed that the union chose to endorse Kindler in the race for Freeborn County sheriff and the votes were submitted for certification on Monday.

Golan said it was a 4-to-1 ratio that the union chose to back Kindler, meaning that out of every five people who voted, four of the votes were for Kindler. Members of the Local 320 tallied the ballots on Sept. 30.

Golan said all 78 members of the union’s five departments were sent ballots but said he did not have the number of ballots tallied and actual vote count, nor is this information they release to the public. He said they share percentages.

Harig said the first time he’d heard that the endorsement had gone to Kindler was when he received a call Friday from the Albert Lea Tribune. He cast doubt on the vote because, “while every employee in the Law Enforcement Center is a citizen, no one from Albert Lea police has ever been privy to union negotiations or endorsement decisions within the Sheriff’s Office.”

“I believe that this was strictly a political tactic to try and control a union endorsement which resulted in many of the members to not even submit ballots,” said Harig. “This has nothing to do with the Police Department. We have five different Teamsters unions here, and each are separate.”

In response to this, Golan said, “We invited all Teamster members who had anything to do with law enforcement in city of Albert Lea and the Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office to participate. These were groups who our members in sheriff’s department themselves also thought should be involved.”

Harig, meanwhile, had been in contract negotiations with the Teamsters. He said he felt he was targeted during one negotiation meeting for patrolmen last spring.

“Golan advised that he would be organizing a candidate forum and that the Teamsters had the power to influence and sway an election process,” Harig said. “I took this personally offensive because I was the only elected official in the negotiation process so I felt this message was personally targeting me.”

Golan said the union endorsement was not a personal attack on Harig.

“It was being polite to inform him we are politically active and to let him know we would be setting up these and extending an interview to him.”

Golan confirmed this was the first time the local union had chosen to endorse a candidate, as over the past three to four years, Sheriff’s Office personnel have switched from the Law Enforcement Labor Union to the Teamsters. He said he’s had the contract with the Albert Lea Police Department for more than 10 years.

Harig noted Kindler has never been a union member.

“He has never been part of a labor contract negotiation. He has no experience in managing grievances and his only participation in union matters may have been to forward a grievance from a union member for someone else to address.”

Kindler is a detective and supervisor for the Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office.

“It is quite an honor to be judged by your peers as the candidate they trust to lead the Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office,” said Kindler. “To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time in the history of Freeborn County that the union representing the law enforcement community has endorsed a candidate for sheriff. That demonstrates not only the importance of this election but also gives union members a voice on the future direction of the Sheriff’s Office.”

Kindler said that he is not currently a union member.

“I was a union member for a very short time with the Austin Police Department, and that’s not the same union,” he said. “Here in Freeborn County, the patrolmen didn’t form the union until around 1997, and I was already a detective supervisor by then, so I was exempt from the patrolman’s union.”

Harig also stated that last spring when he approached Kindler about his career expectations — to schedule appropriate future training for Kindler — that he was not told about Kindler’s plans to run for office.

“About a month later he announced his candidacy for sheriff. He then advised that he had been planning his campaign strategy for two years,” Harig said.

“The majority of his education he has listed are trainings that I have sent him to.”

Kindler explained that the question was posed to him after someone had retired and he applied to be trained as a backup for the open position. He said he was asked how long he wanted to stay with the Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office.

“At the time, I responded I had no intentions of leaving, but if the opportunity presented itself I might go after that opportunity,” said Kindler.

Golan said the union is inviting public to a meet Kindler at the Moose Lodge on Oct. 18 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.