An effort by a new Anchorage Assembly member to challenge Mayor Dan Sullivan over his veto of funding for a police academy fizzled Tuesday. Paul Honeman, a former police lieutenant, was pushing for the city to spend $200,000 this year to gear up for a police academy early next year. The Assembly had put the money into this year's budget. But Sullivan vetoed it, saying the timing was off. The money could be in next year's budget for an academy late in 2011, the mayor said.

Honeman said this week he was going to try to override the veto, which would take the support of eight of the 11 members. Assembly Chair Dick Traini said Honeman had seven votes, including his. The deadline for a veto override was Tuesday.

Honeman never brought it up during Tuesday's Assembly meeting. Afterwards, he said he didn't want to push the issue just to make a political point. The community needs more police on the streets, Honeman said. There may be other avenues to secure the funding this year, he said.