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In response to the Davis Firefighters endorsement of Linda Deos in the District 2 race, Dillan Horton’s campaign put out the following statement:
Dillan Horton notes Biased Endorsement Process from Davis Firefighters Local 3494
Throughout the campaign cycle, Dillan’s team arranged four meetings with the leadership of Davis Firefighters Local 3494. During these meetings, union leaders expressed their operations were in disarray as a result of the sudden departure of their longtime past president. Notably, there was neither a formal interview with union members nor a questionnaire for candidates, standard practice for union endorsements. If the candidates were properly interviewed and assessed, it would have revealed that Linda Deos, the endorsed candidate, has no substantial record of standing up for the right to organize, and has not presented serious plans for addressing the persistent labor rights issues that exist in Davis.
When 3494’s new leadership called the campaign to communicate their endorsement decision, they shared that union leadership already promised it to Linda in a “backroom deal” months prior. This undermined the endorsement process, which should be based on thorough evaluation. This diversion sidelined Dillan, the candidate who’s worked in solidarity with unions his entire adult life, for a candidate whose most extensive labor experience is working as an attorney for the state correctional officers union to represent prison guards accused of wrongdoing.
As someone whose entire adult life has involved solidarity with organized labor, Dillan finds the sloppy and blatantly biased engagement in this council election troubling. It undermines the interests of 3494 members, and betrays the interests of the broader labor movement.
