A new decision by Montgomery County Labor Relations Administrator Andrew M. Strongin that the County Executive does not need to abide by collective bargaining agreements threatens significant damage to public…
Public Safety
MoCo’s New Criminal Justice Policy
Recently, the Gazette reported confusion among people on the street about Montgomery County’s new policy providing for immigration status checks on violent criminals. Courtesy of the County Executive’s office, we…
O’Malley Comments on DNA Collection
The Economist magazine is holding a debate on the ethics of DNA databasing. Following is Governor Martin O’Malley’s comment on the subject from 3/27/09.In January 2007 I was sworn in…
In the following letter to the County Executive, seven members of the County Council asked him not to include ambulance fee revenues in his forthcoming FY 2010 budget. Leggett’s ambulance…
The Montgomery County Career Fire Fighters Association (MCCFFA) announced more than $7 million in concessions in a tentative deal with the Leggett administration yesterday. But the structure of the deal…
Imagine you are buying a house. You offer $500,000 and demand a $5,000 rebate towards closing costs and an inspection contingency. The seller wants $600,000 and offers no rebate or…
A Footnote on Ambulance Fees
The Washington Post reports that the County Council’s Public Safety Committee voted unanimously to block County Executive Ike Leggett’s proposal to impose ambulance fees. Marc Korman explained the proposal in…
A Silver Spring neighborhood near the notorious “Intersection of Death” has been plagued with two simultaneous problems. First, a rash of car break-ins and thefts convinced some residents of the…
County Council: Tell Us More About Bait Cars
At a 7/28/08 work session of the County Council’s Public Safety Committee, Chairman Phil Andrews and committee members Marc Elrich and Don Praisner asked the Montgomery County Police Department for…
In Praise of Phil Andrews
Margarita-drinking penguins surf off the sandy beaches of Antarctica. Osama bin Laden sips matzo ball soup in Tel Aviv. George W. Bush admits the Iraq War is a mistake. But…