Leading up to primary, Montgomery leaders tout spending restraint

Montgomery County Council members are expected to spend the last month before the Sept. 14 primary touting their austerity, a reversal for political leaders in the affluent suburb, used to promising bigger budgets, government services and employee benefits.

The new message comes on the heels of a $1 billion budget deficit this year, when council members turned to their first overall spending reduction in four decades, furloughs of county employees and service cuts at libraries and parks to fill the unprecedented gap.