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Members of the Columbia Firefighters Association (CFA) and the Police Benevolent Association (PBA) joined Steve Benjamin today at a news conference where both groups announced their endorsement of Benjamin’s campaign for Mayor of Columbia.
 
“Steve Benjamin has stood shoulder to shoulder with us and today we’re proud to stand with him,” said CFA spokesman Travis Carricato. “He understands that the repeated and reckless cuts to our police and fire services are putting lives at risk and, when he’s mayor, we’re confident that the city will finally take its responsibility to keep its residents safe seriously.”
 
Benjamin said he was honored and humbled by today’s endorsement repeating his call to make Public Safety the city’s top priority and saying that anything less would be fiscally irresponsible.
 
Benjamin, who called for the immediate re-opening of the Shandon and Atlas Road fire engine companies in November, remains the only candidate for mayor to push the city to restore the $9 million cut from Public Safety over the past two years.
 
“There are some in this race who only see public safety, police officers and firefighters as a budget line-item, a meaningless figure to be manipulated on a whim,” Benjamin explained referring to Kirkman Finlay’s suggestion that the city should be “buying police officers” more cheaply. “These men and women risk their lives for us every day and I, for one, think they deserve more respect than that. ”
 
The CFA has been active in Columbia since the 1960’s, but today’s endorsement was the first official act of the newly formed PBA.
 
“We need a mayor who understands how dangerous our jobs can be,” said PBA spokesman Jon Van Houten. “Steve Benjamin understands because he’s been out in the field serving warrants. He has worn a bulletproof vest, he’s worn a badge, and he’s worn a gun. He’ll give us the support we need.”

Columbia Firefighters Association

IAFF, Local 793

P.O. Box 210554

Columbia, South Carolina 29221

ColumbiaFirefighters@gmail.com

Twitter.com/CFFA