The local fire union this week re-elected a controversial leader using a contentious method of counting votes — proving that right now, the only controversy that really matters is the city’s protracted battle with the police and fire unions over their contracts.

In a decisive victory, Chris Steele, longtime president of the San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association, defeated Battalion Chief Robbie Mikel, amassing more than 60 percent of the vote.

Local turnout was apathetic: Only about half of nearly 1,700 union members voted. Pen-and-pencil-marked ballots were hand-counted on Wednesday at the union hall.

Elsewhere, it’s done electronically — in Austin, for instance.

“Doing online voting, you get a lot more participation,” said Bob Nicks, president of the Austin Firefighters Association. “I think you increase transparency and you increase membership involvement … I think it’s a much more democratic process.”

Nicks stressed that he’s not necessarily criticizing Steele: “I consider Steele a mentor,” he said.

Yet Steele himself is reason enough to make the local process more democratic. As I’ve documented for more than a year, he’s an erratic figure whose leadership deserves broader scrutiny from union members.

(Neither Steele nor Mikel returned calls for comment.)

For one, Steele knowingly exploited taxpayers, according to an investigation by the city’s Office of Municipal Integrity.

In 2012, Steele failed to inform the city of his divorce after negotiating in court to keep his ex-wife on his taxpayer-funded health care plan, according to city officials. At the same time, he was battling to stop the city from verifying whether the dependents of firefighters remained eligible for coverage.

In August, OMI interviewed Steele, who “confirmed that he resides (on) … Swindle Circle,” according to the city’s Final Report on Misuse of Resources.

“When OMI asked him if he received open enrollment forms (that listed his qualified dependents) for benefit years 2013, 2014 and 2015 he said he never received them,” the report stated. “He told OMI that he does not concern himself with such matters, and that he has staff members that handle those matters for him.

“At no time after Christopher Steele became aware that his ex-spouse was still being carried on his healthcare plan did he take any action to remove her,” the investigation concluded. “Mr. Steele’s unwillingness to remove his ex-spouse from his health plan resulted in the City removing her on October 14, 2015.”

The process by which such a leader remains in power should be as participatory and transparent as possible. On Wednesday, I spoke to a longtime firefighter who was wary of the opaque and cumbersome process.

“It seems like the (Fire) Department is trying to do the right thing as far as transparency, but the union doesn’t seem to be doing that,” said the firefighter, who asked to remain anonymous. “We get these ballots mailed to us.”

(Incidentally, the firefighter voted for Steele.)

Last month, association members received a letter from the union’s elections committee chair.

“Place your marked ballots inside the blank envelope (two are provided),” it read. “Seal and place blank envelope(s) into stamped return signature envelope. Seal, sign, date and print name on stamped return signature envelope on lines provided in front. Mail stamped return signature envelope back to the Union Hall’s post office box.”

By contrast, Austin fire union members simply log in and vote.

“It just seems like it could be cleaner and quicker and more transparent if it were an electronic process,” the local firefighter said.

Making it easier to vote, though, would only make it more difficult for Steele to stay in power.

Right now, the status quo suits him just fine — most importantly, the city’s never-ending fight with the unions over their contracts. That’s why, for months, Steele has referred to the stalled negotiations as a “war” and City Manager Sheryl Sculley as “the enemy.”

Steele must realize that all he needs to deflect responsibility for his actions is a figure even more controversial than himself.

bchasnoff@express-news.net