Montgomery County Sheriff Maxwell Uy may soon be facing at least one opponent in the 2026 gubernatorial election following a call this week by one of the county’s largest workers unions for local leaders to withdraw their support for him.
United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1994 MCGEO, which represents county and private sector workers including employees of the sheriff’s office, bus drivers and librarians, sent a letter to local elected officials and political stakeholders urging them to withdraw their support for Uy, alleging he has cultivated a “hostile” work environment, according to a press release and letter to local officials reprinted by Montgomery Perspective.
“This is not just a staffing issue. This is a leadership crisis,” Gino Renne, longtime president of UFCW Local 1994 MCGEO, said in the release. “Our members aren’t leaving law enforcement — they’re leaving Max Uy. The people of Montgomery County deserve a Sheriff who leads with integrity and competence, not someone who prioritizes photo ops over public safety.”
In a phone call Friday evening, Renne said his letter to local leaders resulted from Uy’s “failure to lead.” Renne noted the issue is also personal to him because he formerly worked in the sheriff’s department as a deputy and believes that the “mistreatment” of deputies and “toxic work environment” will not change under the current leadership.
Uy did not immediately respond to Bethesda Today’s email request for comment Friday afternoon.
Uy has served as county sheriff for less than three years. He was elected in November 2022 and previously served in the county’s sheriff office for more than 30 years, according to his campaign website. He is the first Asian American to hold the position.
The sheriff’s office oversees criminal warrant service, courthouse security and criminal transport, responses to domestic violence matters and child support enforcement, among other responsibilities, according to the county website.
According to the State Board of Elections, Uy filed to run for his second term as county sheriff in late February. In the 2022 election, he was endorsed by UFCW Local 1994 MCGEO, along with the Volunteer Fire-Rescue Association and the Fraternal Order of Police.
No candidates have filed to run against Uy as of Friday, according to the state elections board website. However, Renne’s letter is urging local leaders to withhold endorsement of Uy for re-election and to support Uy’s opponent. The letter did not name the prospective challenger and Renne would not provide a name Friday night, saying he wanted to wait until the candidate is ready to announce a bid for the post.
However, he told Bethesda Today the potential candidate is a Poolesville resident who recently retired from a high-ranking position in the Prince George’s County Office of the Sheriff.
“This is a real serious campaign and a legitimate candidate,” Renne told Bethesda Today.
According to Renne’s letter, the current county sheriff’s office is “incapable of fulfilling its mandate” and working conditions have “deteriorated” to a point in which employees are “exiting in droves.” Since Uy took office, 23 sworn deputies and four civilian support staff have left the office, Renne said.
He also alleged the office’s environment has become “hostile, unsupportive and retaliatory,” and employees’ contractual rights have been “routinely ignored or undermined.”
“Due to this toxic work environment, the department’s recruitment and retention challenges have been exacerbated to the point MCGEO members are struggling to maintain the critical services” of the sheriff’s office, Renne’s letter states.
Renne also said Uy has “deepened” the office’s problems by hiring an “anti-union attorney,” Christopher Feldenzer, as an assistant sheriff.
In the November 2022 election, Uy defeated Robert Bass, a former football player who played at the University of Miami and then had a short NFL career with the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers. Bass later spent eight years working with the county sheriff’s office as a deputy before running a private security service.
Renne urged voters to do their due diligence when it comes to the 2026 race for county sheriff.
“The public is going to be afforded an opportunity to vote for a person who will serve and do everything within their professional capacity to deliver a higher level of public safety in this county. It’s an opportunity that doesn’t come around often,” Renne said.
Former Bethesda Today reporter Dan Schere contributed to this report.
