In the same way that some Vietnamese love to hate Councilwoman Madison Nguyen, San Jose cops appear once again to have turned against one of their own—Councilman Pete Constant. In the latest episode of Constant vs. the Police Officer’s Association, the POA is furious that Constant, who is a former cop, openly opposes their pick, Dave Bacigalupi, to represent them on the Association of Retired San Jose Police Officers and Firefighters board, which is directly involved in deciding retirement for officers, among other things.
This came to light when Constant was at a Retirees Oct. 9 general meeting to refute statements made hammering him in the POA newsletter. While he was there he indicated that he wouldn’t support Bacigalupi when it went before the city council for approval. POA president Bobby Lopez believes Constant’s opposition is rooted in a grudge against Bacigalupi, who apparently voted against awarding Constant his retirement when he was a cop. Bacigalupi, who is running again for a different seat on the retirement board, eventually supported Constant’s retirement request.
“Pete holds a grudge on that,” Lopez says. “He felt he should have gotten the retirement the first time—he told me he is angry that Mr. Bacigalupi didn’t afford him the retirement and he had to jump through hoops.”
Constant’s office denies any grudge, especially since the retirement package was granted. It’s the latest spat between the POA and Constant, who wasn’t supportive of the POA’s request for enhanced benefits when the city was negotiating new contract for police officers. Maybe they were expecting a little more sympathy from a veteran cop who I now in political power. “He has chosen his political stance over police officers,” Lopez says. “I don’t think the police officers are happy.”
According to a Mercury article today “Bacigalupi had apparently questioned Constant’s disability pension application in 2000 after seeing Constant on a ladder, something his doctors had said he couldn’t be required to do as a condition of his job.” If this is true why is Constant getting a disability retirement for the rest of his life from the same pension system he now says is too generous to other police officers who have actually worked for an entire career? Constant especially should not be receiving any city pension while he collects $90,000 a year for being a San Jose city council member.
I think maybe someone, somewhere, should be vaguely offended that being ‘Vietnamese’ is the same kind of political marker as being a ‘cop’.