According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer— Cleveland police union president Steve Loomis was ousted Tuesday as the union’s president.
The controversial detective was beaten in the union elections by Det. Jeff Follmer, a former union president, who endured controversy of his own during his two-year stint.
Follmer garnered 387 votes to Loomis’ 349. He will begin his duties in January. Loomis will return to the city’s Third District, where he is a detective. There were 736 votes cast out of 1,243 ballots sent out.
“The silver lining in this election is that I will now have time to focus on my family and my health,” Loomis said in a statement. “I wish all those elected the best going forward and expect them to continue the work and success this union has been committed to.”
He went on to say he was proud of his work as union president and that he believed he left the union “in better shape than I found them.”
Follmer said he wants to bring more unity within the police department. He said he’ll make sure the officers have strong legal representation when necessary.
He said he believed the election was swayed in part because of unhappiness with the union’s new contract, which calls for no raises the first year, and two percent raises the following two years.