A referendum on Montgomery County’s new ambulance fee has become the signature election issue in a suburb severely lacking for political drama.
With Democrats expected to maintain virtually every post in local government, the raging debate could entice otherwise uninterested residents to vote on Election Day.
“There aren’t any local races,” quipped outgoing Councilman Mike Knapp, D-Germantown. “This is, by far, going to be the biggest issue.”
County Executive Ike Leggett — who has championed the fee for years — and volunteer firefighters have traded barbs for weeks, accusing each other of lying to the public and misusing money for political purposes.
And volunteer firefighters filed a lawsuit in Montgomery County Circuit Court, trying to keep career firefighters from advocating for the fee near polling stations while on duty. Some locals who voted early told The Washington Examiner they were uncomfortable with uniformed firefighters pressuring them about the fee.
The lawsuit is scheduled to be heard Monday.
“While our laws allow for and encourage robust debate, they do not allow the county government to commandeer career personnel and use unlimited county tax dollars to wage a political campaign,” said John Bentivoglio, a lawyer representing the volunteer firefighters. “Residents rightly expect on-duty fire and rescue personnel to be responding to emergency incidents, training and performing other activities … not working the polls to handout campaign literature.”
Leggett’s office has pumped taxpayer money into tens of thousands of fliers, posters and other promotional material supporting the fee. But they have accused volunteer firefighters of using public donations to ratchet up false rhetoric against the fee.
“We’re going to continue all of our efforts to inform and educate the public,” said Leggett spokesman Patrick Lacefield. “We’ll see them in court on Monday.”
Predicting the fate of voter referendums is far tricker than handicapping political races, county officials learned two years ago.
County Council candidate and Republican activist Robin Ficker shocked the political establishment with a successful ballot initiative that put significant restrictions on raising property taxes.
But some say voters are unlikely to approve any new fees in the current economic climate.
Under the measure, county residents’ insurance companies would be charged between $300 and $800 per ambulance ride. Uninsured residents are not required to pay the fee, and noncounty residents would be on the hook for any cost not covered by their insurance companies.
