Montgomery County said Wednesday it will let the county police union run ads on county Ride On buses opposing the county’s efforts to reduce the union’s bargaining rights, after the American Civil Liberties Union threatened to sue the county.
The Fraternal Order of Police is “seriously considering” seeking a court order to force the county to put the ads on the buses immediately, said Lanny Davis, a lawyer representing the union. He said the county will not allow the union to expedite the normal two-week process of buying ads on buses, which would be after the Nov. 6 election. The county has been running ads on its Ride On buses urging voters to support Question B on Montgomery County ballots. If it passes, the measure would uphold a law passed last year stripping the FOP of its right to “effects bargaining,” or the right to bargain any management decision that has an effect on its members. The ads are part of more than $6,000 that the county’s Office of Public Information has spent on campaign materials supporting the ballot question.
