Police group backs Parks Miller

Mike Joseph

PORT MATILDA — An organization of sworn law enforcement officers has endorsed Stacy Parks Miller for Centre County district attorney, three of the organization’s officers said Friday.

The Fraternal Order of Police Bald Eagle Lodge 51 met Wednesday night at its Port Matilda office, listened to a speech by Parks Miller and then voted to endorse her over incumbent District Attorney Michael Madeira.

“It was an overwhelming majority,” said FOP Treasurer John Conti, a retired Ferguson Township police officer. “The vote, in my opinion, it went more toward office management, possibly.”

Conti and two other FOP members — President Stewart Neff and Secretary Mike Polachek — said it was the first time any of them could remember that the lodge had endorsed a challenger over an incumbent district attorney.

Four years ago, the lodge endorsed Madeira, a Republican, when he was running against then-assistant district attorney Karen Arnold. The district attorney’s seat at that time was open following the disappearance of 20- year district attorney Ray Gricar.

Polachek said Parks Miller asked in advance to address the FOP members before their meeting. Thirty to 35 FOP members, most of them from police departments in Centre County, were there. Polachek said Madeira did not ask to address the meeting.

Neff said the vote was not unanimous, and Polachek said Madeira did not come under heavy

criticism. “No one spoke ill of Mike,” Polachek said. “Even though he didn’t get the endorsement, nobody ran his character down or anything.”

“Some felt that Mike Madeira was doing a reasonable job and some thought there were some administrative issues with the current DA’s office,” Neff said. “There was nothing overwhelmingly negative in regards to Mike Madeira.”

Parks Miller, a former assistant district attorney in Clearfield County, said Friday she was proud to have received the endorsement.

“It’s an interesting blend of police officers from my past who know me as a prosecutor and police officers from Centre County who I work with now,” she said. “It’s a nice seal of approval.”

In an e-mailed comment Friday, Madeira said: “While I am disappointed that some members of the Lodge choose to endorse her, I am thrilled to have the endorsement of many of our local officers, district attorneys from across the state, the attorney general, and victims with whom we work on a daily basis. The local officers supporting me are the same men and women who are on the front line protecting us every day.”

Mike Joseph can be reached at 235-3910.

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