Thursday, June 15, 2006; B02

ELECTION ENDORSEMENTS

Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin was endorsed yesterday in his run for the U.S. Senate by five Fraternal Order of Police lodges, including those representing Montgomery and Howard county officers and the Maryland-National Capital Park Police.

Cardin, who is seeking the Democratic nomination to succeed retiring Sen. Paul S. Sarbanes (D), said in a statement that he would seek "more resources for our first responders" should he win election.

Walt Bader, president of Montgomery FOP Lodge 35, credited Cardin with putting "hundreds of additional police officers on Maryland's streets." Cardin also received endorsements from two lodges representing Baltimore County law enforcement officers.

-- Steve Vogel

Montgomery County's career firefighters union endorsed former council member Isiah Leggett yesterday for county executive over council member Steven A. Silverman (D-At Large) and retired grocery store clerk Robert Fustero, Leggett's opponents for the Democratic nomination in the Sept. 12 primary.

Local 1664, which represents about 1,000 firefighters and paramedics, also announced its endorsements for County Council.

The union backed incumbents Howard A. Denis (R-Potomac-Bethesda) in District 1 and Michael Knapp (D-Upcounty) in District 2.

In District 3, the union endorsed Rockville City Council member Robert E. Dorsey (D) over incumbent Phil Andrews (D-Gaithersburg-Rockville). The group declined to endorse anyone, including incumbent Marilyn Praisner (D-Eastern County), for the District 4 seat. For the District 5 seat being vacated by Tom Perez (D-Silver Spring), the group is supporting Valerie Ervin (D), a member of the school board.

All three incumbents running for reelection as at-large candidates won endorsements. They are Democrats Nancy Floreen, Michael L. Subin and council President George L. Leventhal. Newcomer Duchy Trachtenberg (D), president of the Maryland National Organization for Women, also won an endorsement for an at-large seat.

-- Nancy Trejos

A Prince George's County Council committee rejected a measure yesterday that would have limited the fire chief's power to discipline volunteer firefighters.

The proposal, known as the Firefighter Bill of Rights, would have given volunteer chiefs sole authority to discipline volunteers, said James Brinkley, president of the Prince George's County Professional Firefighters and Paramedics Association, IAFF Local 1619.

Brinkley said the proposal was patterned after a bill introduced a decade ago that died in the council's Public Safety and Fiscal Management Committee. The new proposal was submitted by council member Douglas J.J. Peters (D-Bowie) after he was approached by career and volunteer firefighters interested in legislation "that would have afforded our members certain protections during interrogations, investigations and the administering of the disciplinary process," Brinkley said.

The measure began to lose support when the volunteer and career firefighters were unable to agree on language.

Some volunteers said the current fire chief, Lawrence H. Sedgwick Jr., has been heavy-handed in disciplining volunteers. Sedgwick, through a spokesman, refused to comment. Some career firefighters said removing the chief from the disciplinary process for volunteers would result in lax discipline.

-- Avis Thomas-Lester