For Immediate Release

July 14th 2021

DEPUTY MAYOR JARED NIEUWENHUIS RECEIVES HISTORIC ENDORSEMENT FROM BELLEVUE POLICE UNIONS

Bellevue, WA - Jared Nieuwenhuis, the Deputy Mayor of Bellevue, announced today he received two historic endorsements from both the Bellevue Police Officers Guild and the Bellevue Police Management Association. Nieuwenhuis is the first candidate ever to earn an endorsement from either union.

“I am deeply honored and humbled to receive this historic endorsement from the organizations that represent our Bellevue Police Officers,” said Nieuwenhuis.

Nieuwenhuis said he believes his opponent’s frequent appearances before the City Council urging the defunding of police while participating in and defending the anti-police protest in Downtown Bellevue that occurred last year, inspired the police unions to get involved in his race and endorse him for his strong public safety record on the council.

“I could not disagree with my opponent more on this point,” said Nieuwenhuis. “While cities in the region that defunded police and refused to support their first responders saw crime skyrocket, Bellevue Police and Firefighters protected our community with grace and dignity that set an example for the region. While we must be relentless in our pursuit to create policing our communities can trust and embrace, a radical policy of defunding the police would expose our most vulnerable communities to violence and disorder. It would be an abdication of the government’s most quintessential purpose for serving the public.”

Nieuwenhuis says that Bellevue first responders are the best in the world. He will work tirelessly with the Bellevue Police unions to ensure that our first responders have the tools, resources, and training necessary to continue improving the way they serve our city.

In addition to the Bellevue Police unions, two other police unions in King County also endorsed Nieuwenhuis. “I am also incredibly grateful to include the Puget Sound Police Managers Association (PSPMA) and the King County Police Officers Guild (KCPOG) as official endorsers of my campaign,” added Nieuwenhuis.

Jared Nieuwenhuis was first elected to the Bellevue City Council in 2017 and currently serves as Deputy Mayor. For more information, please visit JaredForBellevue.com.

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