Tulsa police union president criticizes mayor's online post

TULSA, Okla. (AP) - The president of Tulsa’s police union has criticized Mayor Dewey Bartlett over a message on his campaign’s Facebook page.

Tulsa Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 93 president Clay Ballenger says Bartlett asked the union to “just stay out” of the campaign but then posted an old letter that gives the appearance of union support.

The Tulsa World (https://bit.ly/1U2tpa8 ) reports the letter Bartlett posted was from May 2013. In the letter, Ballenger applauded the mayor’s efforts to allocate 60 percent of the county’s 0.167 percent sales tax to the police department. Those efforts later failed.

Bartlett says Ballenger’s comments are true but it was just a suggestion. The mayor says the Facebook post wasn’t meant to appear supportive to his re-election campaign.

Bartlett faces four challengers in the June 26 primary.

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Information from: Tulsa World, https://www.tulsaworld.com