Mayor objects to police ads warning of layoffs

The mayor said the ads are premature and he's disappointed.

The ads, on radio and in print, feature Jesus Rivera, who the union says is one of 15 officers who will be laid off if Sullivan carries out a plan to cut the force. Hired last year, Rivera has been recommended for a medal of valor for chasing down a shooting suspect Sept. 12, the ads say. That was the recent incident outside Rumrunners Old Towne Bar.

"I knew he was armed. He just shot two people, and posed a threat to the public, so I made the decision to go in after him," Rivera says in a radio ad. A print version shows a photo of him with a direct gaze and an imposing presence.

The narrator in the radio commercial is Walt Monegan, former police chief.

Mayor Dan Sullivan was not impressed.

"For them to single out an officer and put out an ad is deceiving and I think meant to scare the public. It just seems unseemly to me," Sullivan said in an interview Monday.

Sullivan said the ads are deceptive because the union hasn't seen the city's budget yet. He also said no one knows yet what the Anchorage Assembly, which must approve the budget, will decide to do.

"If the union wants to be part of the solution instead of pointing fingers and being accusatory -- they got big raises this year, next year -- why don't they come to the table?" Sullivan asked.

On Sept. 1, Sullivan announced an $18 million shortfall for next year even if property taxes are raised to cover inflation, or $27 million if property taxes are flat, and said he was talking to city union leaders to see if they are willing to make any changes to their contracts that would save money for the city over the long run.

Union president Derek Hsieh said the union produced the ads -- airing on 13 radio stations, with a print version in Sunday's Daily News -- because it wants the public to know what's going on.

"It's important for the public to have an opportunity to discuss something as important as police layoffs, especially when it includes such high numbers," said Hsieh.

The union worked with an ad agency, Porcaro Communications, to create the ads. The union contract calls for layoffs to occur on the basis of seniority, Hsieh said. "A group we're calling the bottom 20, they picked him (Rivera) to be their spokesman," he said.

"If the mayor has information that these officers aren't getting laid off, that would be a surprise to me," Hsieh said.

Asked whether police department layoffs are likely, Sullivan said, "It depends. We're not releasing the budget until Friday and I don't want to get into details."

He has said every department will probably have to participate in cutbacks, though.

In recent months, the mayor has also mentioned plans to hold an academy to train new police officers in late 2011.

On Monday, he said, "That's definitely under discussion. We'll kind of judge that based on attrition rates."

Hsieh said it costs a lot of money to select and train new officers.

"I hardly see the layoff of newly trained officers as a cost savings in the long run," he said.

Find Rosemary Shinohara online at adn.com/contact/rshinohara or call her at 257-4340.