Round one of the chase for the Fraternal Order of Police endorsement in next year's Jacksonville mayoral race has gone to Mike Hogan.

The second and decisive round will be decided by the end of the week.

All of the leading mayoral candidates excluding Rick Mullaney met with the police union's political action committee. That committee is recommending the union endorse Hogan, the Duval County tax collector who previously served on the City Council and in the state Legislature.

But that recommendation won't lock up the endorsement.

In 2003, the last time the mayor's seat was open, the committee went with Sheriff Nat Glover. The rank and file, though, chose fresh-faced political newcomer John Peyton, who rode the police and fire union support to victory.

Going against the recommendation is rare, union president Nelson Cuba said, and he doesn't expect it to happen this time around.

Cuba said Hogan was selected because of his experience, his ability to raise enough money to be competitive and some of the ways Hogan said he could cut city spending. Cuba would not elaborate on specific plans from any of the candidates.

Hogan said in an e-mailed statement that he would be proud to have law enforcement support on his campaign. He said he wants to restore trust between the union and the city in contract negotiations and committed to deals that benefit the employees as well as taxpayers.

Hogan, in the statement, said he would not raise taxes to pay for raises or additional benefits for police officers.

The union also interviewed former Clinton administration aide Alvin Brown, publisher Jim Bailey, juvenile justice officer Warren Lee and Audrey Moran, president of the Sulzbacher Center for the Homeless.

Brown and Lee are Democrats. Bailey, Hogan and Moran are Republicans.

Mullaney, also a Republican, said he is committed to pension reform and believes the public wants someone who is independent from the unions to get that done.

Though Mullaney was a close adviser to Peyton and that Cuba often criticized Peyton's policy, Cuba said Mullaney would have had as much of a chance to earn the endorsement as anyone else.

The public safety unions are among the most powerful groups in deciding Jacksonville elections and were key in electing Peyton, who cannot run again because of term limits.

Peyton has butted heads with both the police and fire unions about pay cuts and pension reform.

Contract talks with the FOP are now at impasse, even though other unions including the firefighters have taken 2 percent temporary pay cuts.

Fire union President Randy Wyse said his team has interviewed all of the candidates except Mullaney, whom Wyse said did not respond to requests for an endorsement interview.

The union decision will not be announced until early next year, Wyse said.

matt.galnor@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4550

http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2010-12-06/story/fop-execs-favor...