In their run for Chandler City Council, Encinas, Poston, Orlando are supported by fire and police unions from outside of Chandler. That's because of a legal issues and a reach around.
Read the fine print! Election posters saying:
Your Fire Fighters Support Encinas, Orlando, Poston
may be stretching the truth in terms of the use of the word "Your". This is because the fire - and police - unions that support the three Democrats for Chandler City council appear to be from the outside of Chandler.
But that's just because legally public sector unions can't endorse candidates in their own jurisdiction. So what those unions do is to endorse and financially support candidates in neighboring jurisdictions in a reach around type of arrangement.
Campaign finance reports for Angel Encinas, Matt Orlando and Jane Poston show the following donations:
Mesa Police Association: $1,000 to Encinas, $1,000 to Poston
Phoenix Law Enforcement Association: $2,000 to Encinas, $2,000 to Poston, $1,000 to Orlando
Surprise Pro Firefighters: $800 to Poston
Phoenix FF Local 493: $800 to Poston
Glendale Firefighters: $800 to Poston
United Pima Firefighters Tempe Chapter: $800 to Poston, $3500 to Orlando
United Phoenix Firefighters Local 493: $800 to Poston
Although the Defund the Police movement has not - yet - taken a firm hold in Chandler, police unions supporting Democrats, who now often call for the police to be abolished, is a long tradition. In a similar fashion, Autoworkers unions destroyed the city of Detroit by raising cost to such a high level that the three local automakers had to give up massive market share to competitors from right to work states. Workers siding with a union against an employer often results in the employer going under and the workers losing their jobs. The communist class struggle which many unions keep playing usually leads to Cuba, Venezuela, Soviet, Mao-China and other hell-like "workers' paradises".
Jane Poston has received a $400 donation from the SRP Political Involvement Committee. This is concerning because in some way this represents a government entity donating to a political candidate. Matt Orlando has received a $2,000 donation from a Phoenix Chapter of the United Food Workers Union. Food worker unions almost always support Democrats, even though Democrats were most lockdown trigger happy, severely hurting food workers.
Campaign finance reports can be found here.