It looks like Asheville’s fire department has a case of the gimmes. The Asheville Fire Fighters Association IAFF Local 865 announced their endorsement of the candidacy of incumbent City Councilman Bryan Freeborn. Their reasons are:
* He pushed for a 2% matching 401(a) retirement for firefighters who voluntarily opted out of Social Security, just as a first step toward better retirement benefits.
* He voted in favor of receiving funds from the (federal) Department of Homeland Security to staff local fire stations.
* He has promised to support future initiatives to beef up fire department staffing, improve the safety of firefighters, and upgrade equipment and apparatus.
I must suppose this has nothing to do with a symbiotic dispensation of favors to special interests in exchange for sustained political power; but rather involves some Constitutional principles beyond my grasp.
