Jenny Nowatzke OMAHA (KPTM)- The race for Omaha's next mayor is heating up, and the mud slinging has already started. For the second time in less than a week, the Omaha Police Union has mailed out fliers to Omaha voters, encouraging them not to vote for Jim Vokal. The latest, reached most mail boxes today.
On the front, was 15 mug shots of hiding sex offenders, with the words, "Jim Vokal voted to block Omaha police from monitoring high risk sex offenders." Aaron Hanson, president of the union says, "It's the truth, and I think it's important to the citizens of this city." Hanson says, the fliers were made to remind citizens of a 2006 city council decision where Vokal voted against the idea to allow Omaha police officers overtime to monitor sex offenders. "This is a public safety issue. I think parents in our community and everyone else takes this seriously," said Hanson.
Vokal says, he voted against having police officers monitor sex offenders because he believes more resources need to go towards stopping gangs and violent crime, and believes the Douglas County Sheriff's office and state patrol are already doing a great job at monitoring it. "I have two small children! I'd never do anything to limit the police ability to protect the public from sex offenders!" said Vokal, who calls the fliers an attempt to smear his campaign, and has serious questions for the union. "If this issue, Aaron, was so important for you, why has it taken you three years to bring it up again 40-50 days before an election?"
Vokal believes the union's true motivation stems from his proposal to cut spiking in police pension funds. "This has to do with retaliation for opposing 99% pensions - for my support of eliminating spiking," said Vokal. "We want people to know, we're opposed to spiking! We want to change it!" said Hanson.
The police union plans to mail out more fliers in the upcoming weeks, and they hope voters will pay close attention. "It's the facts, truth, it's Jim Vokal's voting record. If they don't like it, I don't know what to tell them," said Hanson.
