Columbia Police Officers Association announces more endorsements for city elections

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Columbia Police Officer Association on Tuesday announced more endorsements for the April 8 municipal elections.

The CPOA in November announced that it would endorse Blair Murphy for mayor. The mayoral race consists of Murphy, incumbent Barbara Buffaloe, Tanya Heath and certified write-in candidate Lucio Bitoy.

The April election includes races for Wards 3 and 4. The CPOA in its press release endorsed Jacque Sample, the lone candidate in the Ward 3 race, and Ron Graves in the Ward 4 race.

Graves is running against incumbent Nick Foster. The CPOA cited Graves’ work with the American Heart Association, Stephens College, The Salvation Army, coaching youth baseball and his campaign’s focus on public safety as reasons for the endorsement.

A number of groups have announced endorsements, or lack thereof, for the upcoming election. The Columbia Professional Firefighters IAFF Local 1055 said at the end of January that it would not make an endorsement after doing so for years, while LiUNA Local 955 endorsed Buffaloe and Sample.