April 11, 2023 Police Benevolent Association President Pat Lynch, the longest-serving president of New York City’s largest police union, said he will not be seeking re-election when his term ends in June.
By Thomas Tracy Source New York Daily News Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Firebrand union head Pat Lynch announced Tuesday that he will be stepping down as president of the Police Benevolent Association after more than 20 years in charge.
In an email sent to the PBA membership, Lynch said that he will not be seeking re-election this summer. His current term as president expires in June.
Lynch, the longest-serving president of the city’s largest police union, decided to step down after hammering out a new contract with the PBA and the city. The PBA had been working without a contract for seven years.
“This decision is part of a philosophy I have long held: a rider cannot switch horses in the middle of a battle, and the PBA must not change leadership in the middle of a contract fight,” Lynch said in his email. “To remain true to my principles, I must allow the change to begin now.”
The Queens native served six terms as PBA president since being first elected in 1999. Over the last two decades, his re-elections usually end in landslide victories.