Walter Powell Jr. stood in a restaurant parking lot squinting awkwardly into the sun. A group of out-of-uniform firefighters and police officers stood behind him, holding campaign signs.

Powell didn’t have a lot to say. But the Columbia Firefighters Association did — and lately, they’ve been saying it with unprecedented volume.

This week, the CFA joined the brand-new Midlands chapter of the Police Benevolent Association in endorsing Powell, who is running for City Council District 4, the seat being vacated by Kirkman Finlay.

It was the second city election endorsement by the two labor groups, who a week earlier endorsed Steve Benjamin — who has made public safety funding a centerpiece of his campaign — for mayor. And the stepped-up political activism marks a change in direction.

“Being as aggressive as we are — this is a new thing,” says CFA spokesman Travis Carricato.

The CFA has endorsed candidates in the past, such as Daniel Rickenmann in his last council race. The group also supported Mayor Bob Coble’s first bid for mayor 20 years ago. But the CFA has been increasingly visible this election cycle.

Budget trimming at City Hall over the last few years has cut benefits and overtime for all city employees, including police and firefighters. Last year, two fire engines were taken out of service, though they have since been restored. Some police officers and firefighters say morale is low. And with a major city election coming up, politicians are talking a lot about public safety. The CFA is right there with them.

“We need to change the direction of City Council with regard to public safety,” said Carricato at Powell’s press conference. “We need to re-shift our priorities to fully fund public safety.”

Robert Calby of the Police Benevolent Association spoke of a need to “reprioritize, to get things focused.”

The CFA has sparred with the city over morale and retention, linking the city’s public safety cuts to the fire department’s recent resignation rate. The city took pains to clarify: “[R]esignations doubled from 2008 to 2009, but the numbers were low, changing from 6 to 12,” wrote chief Bradley Anderson in a memo released last week.

The associations are even taking stands against other city projects they feel are diverting funds from law enforcement and firefighting. Carricato mentioned two TIF districts, as well as the city’s Eau Claire Development Corporation, which has lost millions of dollars, as examples of misplaced priorities.

It’s a new direction not just for the CFA but also for Columbia, where political power typically lies with neighborhoods and business owners, in a state where labor power is marginalized. It remains to be seen whether the push will alter the city’s political scene.

But Calby is quick to defuse any notion of tensions.

“We’re not here to work against our employer. We’re here to support our employer,” Calby said.