The Volunteer Fire Fighters have sent out the following press release celebrating the success of their endorsed candidates and claiming victory in electing enough of them to repeal the ambulance fee. Following is their statement from earlier today.
Candidates Endorsed by MCVFRA Win Big in September Primaries
Rockville, MD.—Eleven of the 13 candidates endorsed by the Montgomery County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association were winners in the September 14, 2010 primary elections, with another race too close to call. "The success of our candidates is not surprising given how much voters care about the County's fire-rescue system, including the important role played by the more than 2,000 active in our County," said Marcine D. Goodloe, the Association's president. "We are also pleased the candidates that came out forcefully against ambulance fees and have been very supportive of volunteers were so successful," Goodloe added.
During the campaign, Craig Rice, the winner in the District 2 Democratic primary, pledged to oppose ambulance fees if elected. “I oppose the ambulance fee, would have opposed it on the Council, have signed a petition to send it to referendum, and will vote to repeal it in November” wrote Craig Rice in the Association’s questionnaire. Rice fills the seat of the retiring Mike Knapp, an ambulance fee supporter. Hans Riemer, the successful challenger for one of the four at-large Council seats, also came out forcefully against ambulance fees during the campaign. “A resident who needs to call an ambulance clearly is in a difficult situation and the County should not pass fees directly on to these individuals. Passing these fees directly on to non-residents is wrong for the same reason, and because many of these callers work in Montgomery County and support our economy. Revenue recovery passed directly to patients is an idea I cannot support” wrote Hans Riemer in the Association’s questionnaire.
Councilmembers Phil Andrews, Nancy Navarro, and Valerie Ervin – all of whom oppose ambulance fees -- ran unopposed or, in Berliner's race, won handily by a very wide margin. Councilmember Andrews has also pledged to submit legislation to repeal the ambulance fee if the Association’s suit fails in court. "We deeply appreciate their past support and look forward to supporting them in the November elections," said Goodloe.
If these candidates are successful in November, six of the nine County Councilmembers will be on record as opposing ambulance fees.
The full results of the candidates endorsed by MCVFRA:
Council District 1: Roger Berliner (Won)
Council District 2: Craig Rice (Won)
Council District 3: Phil Andrews (Won)
Council District 4: Nancy Navarro (Won)
Council District 5: Valerie Ervin (Won)
Council At-Large: Hans Riemer (Won)
District 14 Senate: Rona Kramer (Too close to call))
District 14 House: Anne Kaiser (Won); Craig Zucker (Won); Bo Newsome (Lost) District 17 Senate: Jennie Forehand (Won)
District 19 Senate: Roger Manno (Won)
District 19 House: Ben Kramer (Won)
In making its endorsements, MCVFRA looked at the candidates' positions on issues of importance to MCVFRA members, including their stands on providing adequate funding and support to maintain and improve the County's fire-rescue system, strengthening the partnership between the County and the 19 community-based volunteer fire-rescue departments, and fostering the role of volunteers in the fire-rescue service. MCVFRA also looked closely at the candidates' position on the imposition of ambulance fees, which MCVFRA strongly opposes.
For the first time, the volunteers created the Volunteer Fire Helmet Ballot which is a custom, die-cut, red fire helmet listing all the candidates the volunteer’s support that was widely received and praised by both the public at large and candidates. These ballots were passed out weeks before the election as well as at many of the polls on Election Day. “We are very pleased at the reception our Volunteer Fire Helmet Ballot received. The public supports their volunteer fire and rescue providers and care about our issues. They overwhelmingly supported our candidates” said Eric N. Bernard, executive director of the MCVRA. “The public knows that we are there protecting them in many ways – not just when the 911 call comes in” he added.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Volunteer Fire Fighters Claim Victory on Ambulance Fee
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Ballots, Ballots Everywhere
MCEA is the acknowledged master of precinct day ballot handouts with its famous Apple Ballot, but now several other groups are getting into the act today. Will it mean anything?
We have heard that six groups will be distributing ballots listing their endorsed candidates today: Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 35, SEIU Local 500, Casa in Action, the Volunteer Fire Fighters, the Sierra Club and Progressive Neighbors.
Here’s a copy of the Volunteers’ ballot.
Here’s the District 15 version of SEIU’s Purple Ballot.
Here’s the Sierra Club poll piece.
Here’s a copy of Casa in Action’s ballot.
And here’s Progressive Neighbors’ ballot.
Just because these organizations intend to distribute ballots does not mean they will actually do so. Montgomery County is a huge jurisdiction with 246 voting precincts. A group that wishes to cover them all would ideally field three shifts of two volunteers each, or 1,476 total distributors. Not even MCEA, which maxes out at somewhere around 500-600 distributors, can get anywhere close to that number. Alternatively, a group could simply leave its ballots on the precinct tables, but that almost guarantees they will not be read.
Some of the above groups may be able to deploy several dozen volunteers if they work really hard. Others may only be able to send a couple dozen, and yet others are probably just blowing smoke. But some of these “little Apples” will get passed out. The big question is where. More than one ballot group will be targeting the District 14 Senate race in an effort to get rid of incumbent Rona Kramer. (The Volunteers are the only organization listed here who endorsed her.) But that district may not have many members of these groups. This sort of unpredictability makes it hard to believe that any ballot other than the Apple will have a big impact on any state legislative race.
But there is one contest in which geography is irrelevant: Council At-Large. Every ballot handed out in every precinct has the potential for affecting that race. Here are the at-large candidates who are listed on each of the ballots.
Apple Ballot
Marc Elrich
George Leventhal
Hans Riemer
Becky Wagner
Other Ballots
Marc Elrich: Police, SEIU, Sierra Club, Casa, Neighbors (5)
Hans Riemer: Police, SEIU, Sierra Club, Volunteers, Casa (5)
Nancy Floreen: Police, SEIU, Casa (3)
George Leventhal: Police, SEIU, Casa (3)
Duchy Trachtenberg: Sierra Club, Neighbors (2)
So if these ballots have any impact at all on the at-large primary, it is likely to benefit Elrich and Riemer (who is the only at-large candidate listed on the Volunteers’ ballot) and damage Trachtenberg. We may not be talking about a lot of affected votes, but there does not have to be very many. On primary election night in 1998, Steve Silverman led Pat Baptiste for the fourth at-large seat by just 640 votes. In 2002, challenger George Leventhal defeated incumbent Blair Ewing for the fourth at-large seat by 1,140 votes. With Riemer looking strong, Floreen holding steady, Trachtenberg having problems and Becky Wagner going negative, anything can happen in this election. And any factor that swings a few hundred votes here or there could make the difference.
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
Career Fire Fighters Announce Endorsements for Council
Local 1664 of the International Association of Fire Fighters has released their endorsements for County Council. We reprint their press release below.
September 1, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
MEDIA CONTACT: John Sparks (240-876-1920)
Montgomery Career Fire Fighters Endorse Candidates for County Council
(Rockville, MD) The Montgomery County Career Fire Fighters Association, International Association of Fire Fighters Local 1664, is pleased to endorse the following County Council candidates:
District 2: Craig Rice
At Large: George Leventhal, Marc Elrich, Hans Riemer and Becky Wagner
“We believe that these candidates will stand strong on public safety issues,” said John Sparks, President of MCCFFA 1664. “They understand that our priorities are the priorities of Montgomery County – delivery of the highest level of fire and rescue services, respect for our members, and a willingness to work together to find common solutions.
These candidates have earned our trust and support, and we urge Montgomery County voters to show their support for these individuals on Election Day.”
MCCFFA did not consider endorsements for County Executive and County Council Districts 3, 4 and 5, which are uncontested, and decided not to endorse in the District 1 race.
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Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Police, Fire Fighters and MCGEO Launch Independent Expenditure Campaign
MCGEO and the unions representing the police and the career fire fighters have joined forces to launch an independent expenditure campaign with three goals: decry budget cuts, push back against the school system and help three candidates in the Council At-Large race.
The independent effort, called Protect Your Montgomery, includes both a website and one mailer (so far) that we reprint below.
Here’s what they say about the school system:The budget and service cuts didn’t have to be so deep, so harsh, or so concentrated on just a fewessential County services.
And here’s what they say about the three at-large candidates they are supporting:
The County’s School Board Bureaucracy got 57% of the $4.3 billion County budget. The School Board budget protected 2,626 Education bureaucrats who earn more than $100,000
a year. The School Board did cut some classroom teachers, but School Superintendant Jerry Weast, with an annual compensation package worth $489,763 last year, refused to participate in any austerity— rejecting even a symbolic “furlough” to cut into his own income.
The Education Bureaucracy is highly skilled at protecting itsprerogatives, leaving it up to you, your neighbors and your communities to absorb the harshest cuts in this budget.Some candidates for office in the County agree with our concerns, while others have turned their backs on us.
Ironically, Leventhal, Elrich and Riemer have also been endorsed by MCEA.
There are three At-Large seats on the County Council. In 2010, incumbents George Leventhal and Marc Elrich have proven themselves to be Champions of Public Service. We believe that Hans Riemer, because of his background and experience, also qualifies as a Champion of Public Service.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Police, Fire Fighters Picket Trachtenberg Again
International Association of Fire Fighters Local 1664 and Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 35 enjoyed picketing Duchy Trachtenberg’s campaign kickoff so much that they decided to do it again last night, this time at her joint fundraiser with Marc Elrich at McGinty’s. The unions were careful to make clear that they were picketing Trachtenberg and not Elrich. While the two unions have picketed other Council Members, Trachtenberg has provoked them in particular with her last-day introduction of a disability bill, her slamming the county’s entire public employee labor movement and her decision to cross the unions’ picket line in the past. Following are pictures of the picketers along with a special guest.
“Duchy Furloughs Working Moms”
“Why Doesn’t Duchy Support Women Candidates?”
“Don’t Furlough My Daddy”
Ike Leggett Crosses the Picket Line
“Duchy Voted for a Man to Have 4 Bodyguards but Abused Women to Have None”
This was fun, everybody! Let’s do it again!
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Volunteer Fire Fighters Make Endorsements
The Montgomery County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association has released its endorsement list for the 2010 election. They are supporting:
Council District 1: Roger Berliner
Council District 2: Craig Rice
Council District 3: Phil Andrews
Council District 4: Nancy Navarro
Council District 5: Valerie Ervin
Council At-Large: Hans Riemer
District 14 Senate: Rona Kramer
District 14 House: Anne Kaiser, Bo Newsome, Craig Zucker
District 17 Senate: Jennie Forehand
District 19 Senate: Roger Manno
District 19 House: Ben Kramer
Their decision to endorse Hans Riemer without endorsing any of the four at-large incumbents can be explained by the fact that the incumbents all voted for the ambulance fee, and Duchy Trachtenberg even flipped her vote to support it. We reproduce their press release below.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Fire Fighters, Police Announce General Assembly Endorsements
International Association of Fire Fighters Local 1664 and Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 35 have announced their endorsements in the state legislative races. The two unions have cooperated in making these endorsements jointly. They will be endorsing for County Council later. Following is their release.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Police, Fire Fighters Picket Berliner Fundraiser
First Nancy Navarro, second Nancy Floreen, third Valerie Ervin and now Roger Berliner's event in Chevy Chase. These two unions are a threat to wind up anywhere now.
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
Police, Fire Fighters Picket Floreen Fundraiser
Less than three weeks after picketing Council Member Nancy Navarro's fundraiser in Silver Spring, the police and fire fighter unions picketed a fundraiser held by Council President Nancy Floreen in Bethesda tonight. Someone at the event was so unhappy with the demonstrators that he or she called police management to complain. Ever hear of the First Amendment, people?
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Consequences of the Budget, Part Three
The school system was not the only powerful institution that was challenged by the budget. Also in the crosshairs were the public employee unions.
Labor
When analyzing the unions, it’s important to keep in mind their differences rather than assume them to be monolithic. There are six county employee unions. MCEA, which represents teachers, SEIU Local 500, which represents school support staff, and the Montgomery County Association of Administrative and Supervisory Personnel (MCAASP), which represents school supervisors, all have members in the school system. They negotiate their contracts with the Superintendent, who sends them to the elected Board of Education for approval. The County Council can set the overall size of the school budget, but they cannot dictate line items in school contracts or specific employee policies (like furloughs). The Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 35 represents police officers, the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 1664 represents career fire fighters and MCGEO represents nearly all other non-managerial line workers. These three unions negotiate contracts with the County Executive, which are then approved by the council. The County Council has lots of authority over these contracts, and can reject them, refuse to fund increases contained in them and can even strike individual provisions in them. In most years, the six unions get similar gains, but this year was different.
One significant result of this budget is an angry split between the public employee unions. None of them are getting general wage adjustments or step increases, but in other ways they are being treated differently. The County Executive’s original proposal subjected non-public safety employees to ten days of furloughs each. (The Executive does not have the authority to decide questions related to staffing in the school system.) So of the six public employee unions, only MCGEO – which represents nearly everyone except for police officers, fire fighters and education employees – would have been hit by furloughs.
MCGEO fought back, arguing that they were unfairly targeted and basic fairness held that all employees should be furloughed at the same rate. Four County Council Members agreed with MCGEO in principle at their parking garage rally. Council staff found that if furloughs were spread across the government, each employee would only have to take 1.5 days. This prompted a response from the school unions, who raised questions about the feasibility of furloughs in the schools and argued that changes to the county reserves would be sufficient to prevent all furloughs. But the council, which was under pressure from bond rating agencies, did not buy it. In the end, they chose to implement a progressive furlough structure of three to eight days for non-school employees, with higher-paid workers taking more furlough days. The school system took a budget cut but did not have to take furloughs.
This approach created winners and losers among the unions. MCGEO is a loser, but it did suffer fewer furlough days than under the Executive’s proposal. The police and fire fighters are big losers. The Executive did not propose furloughs for them, but the council implemented them anyway. The school unions successfully held off all furloughs.
Most importantly, the six unions could not agree on a common approach to the budget. While the three school unions largely stuck together, the remaining three county government unions (MCGEO, the police and fire fighters) not only went against the schools, they also went against each other. Next year could see a similar conflict. While there has always been occasional friction between the unions owing to different budget priorities and different styles (especially among the leaders), it has been a LONG time since they were this far apart.
This picture of a public safety worker protesting Council Member Nancy Navarro’s fundraiser says it all about the state of inter-union relations.
The big question is whether the unions’ disagreements over the budget will spill over into their electoral cooperation. Regardless of their squabbling, they are all better off if they make the same endorsements and work together on behalf of their candidates. If not, only their hardened enemies on the council will benefit.
Tomorrow, we’ll look at the long term.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Police, Fire Fighters Picket Navarro Fundraiser
Council Member Nancy Navarro won last year’s District 4 special election with lots of labor support. But that did not stop members of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 35 and International Association of Fire Fighters Local 1664 from picketing her fundraiser in Silver Spring’s Forest Glen Seminary yesterday. Navarro, along with the rest of the council, decided to furlough public safety workers after County Executive Ike Leggett recommended furloughs only for non-public safety employees. If the police and fire fighters will do this to Navarro, they will take on anyone. We have photos below.
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
Fire Fighters and Leggett Strike Deal
County Executive Ike Leggett and the Montgomery County Career Fire Fighters Association have reached a Memorandum of Agreement amending the union’s contract. Here are the key provisions.
1. The union’s 4 percent wage increase is “postponed” and will not be effective in Fiscal Year 2010. Salary-based benefits, like pensions, will not be affected by the postponement and will be calculated as if the postponement had not taken place. (This provision will require legislation to be submitted by the Executive.) The agreement does not specify when the postponed wage increase will take effect.
2. The contract will include new provisions laying out personal leave and compensatory leave credits.
3. Members will be permitted to wear union logos on their uniforms and helmets.
4. The County Executive and the union will jointly seek to vacate the Labor Relations Administrator’s decision that the Executive need not include salary increases for the Fire Fighters in his proposed budget. We suggested this deal could be made weeks ago. The memorandum says:The Union has filed an appeal of LRA Strongin’s March 28, 2009 Decision and Award. The parties shall file a joint motion and proposed Order (attached as Exhibit A) with LRA Strongin asking him to vacate the March, 28 2009 Decision and Award. If he signs the Order vacating the Decision and Award, the Union will voluntarily dismiss its appeal. The parties agree that they will neither cite nor attempt to rely on the vacated decision in any way. In the event that LRA Strongin does not issue an Order vacating the March 28, 2009 Decision and Award, the parties shall file a joint motion and proposed Order (attached as Exhibit B) with the Circuit Court requesting the Court to vacate the LRA Decision and Award and to dismiss the appeal. In the event that the Circuit Court does not enter the Order, the Union will pursue the appeal.
5. The memorandum contains this statement on County Council and senior management pay:The parties recognize the economic situation facing the County, particularly the shortfall in projected revenues for FY10. The County is calling on all of its employees to come together to deal with this grave situation. The Union and the County Executive, on his own behalf and on behalf of the non-represented employees in County leadership positions, are willing to make financial sacrifices in FY10, and the parties call on each member of the County Council to make similar sacrifices. Postponement of the general wage increase described in Paragraph 1 above shall be rescinded and the County Executive agrees to promptly seek funding from the County Council to retroactively pay such general wage increase unless (a) the County Executive returns to the County the net mandated pay increase required to go into effect in December 2009 under Section Sec. 1A-106 of the Code and (b) no general wage adjustment is given in FY10 to any appointed member of the Senior Management Team. The Parties recognize and agree that this provision does not impact salary schedule step increases.
Politicians’ pay raises are an increasingly dicey subject. According to the Post, D.C. Council Members and Fairfax Supervisors decided not to take raises in Fiscal 2010, but Calvert County Commissioners and Prince William Supervisors will get them. Raises for Prince George’s County politicians are up in the air. Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon and City Council Members received a 2.5 percent raise last December, but the Mayor donated her increase to charity. Many state legislators chose to give part of their salaries back to the state to match state employee furloughs. If Montgomery County Council Members are required to accept their pay by law (as are state legislators), will they follow the example of the state legislators or Mayor Dixon?
Following are the memorandums of agreement between the County Executive and the Fire Fighters, the Fraternal Order of Police and MCGEO.
