Unions in and beyond Montgomery County powered Will Milam’s election to sheriff

The unions had his back.

Union endorsements and financial support from police organizations across Maryland propelled challenger Will Milam to a landslide victory over Sheriff Maxwell Uy in Tuesday’s Democratic primary.

Milam, 44, second-in-command in the Prince George’s County Sheriff’s Office before retiring in February 2025, secured nearly twice as many votes as Sheriff Maxwell Uy — 49,000 votes compared to Uy’s 25,000, excluding provisional ballots.

“I would attribute my labor support to labor seeing me in action over the years,” Milam said. “I’ve always stood with the women and men in law enforcement. I’ve always fought for what’s right.”

The lopsided race reflects the influence of local unions when they band together, along with mounting disaffection with Uy among his deputies. Milam will succeed Uy, 53, a one-term sheriff, after a contentious race in which union officials accused Uy of cultivating a culture of fear and dysfunction.

The sheriff’s office, with more than 125 deputies and a budget of about $33 million, is the law enforcement arm of the county’s judicial system. Uy makes $205,259,57.

Milam will be the county’s first Black sheriff. Uy is its first Asian American sheriff.

Milam’s union support was strong and widespread. He raised more than $124,000, compared to the $23,000 raised by Uy, who also loaned his campaign $85,000.

The incoming sheriff, who will take office in December, was backed by UFCW Local 1994 MCGEO, the union that represents deputies and civilian employees at the sheriff’s office. Last year, it declared a vote of no confidence in Uy and endorsed Milam during a September news conference outside the sheriff’s office. Union officials said 80% of deputies supported the declaration.

Local 1994, which represents about 6,000 county employees, worked with other labor organizations across the state to raise money for Milam’s campaign, said MCGEO President Gino Renne. The union sent its members to knock on nearly 20,000 doors and supported a campaign that deluged voters with mailers and digital advertising.

“This is yet another example of our capacity and our ability to flex our political muscles to protect our membership,” Renne said. “I’ve been engaged in Maryland politics since 1980, and I can tell you firsthand, this is one of the most coordinated, surgically strategic campaigns I’ve ever been associated with.”

He called the unions’ fundraising effort unprecedented for a Montgomery County sheriff’s race.

Milam has a long history with unions. He serves as the vice president of the Maryland Fraternal Order of Police and is a former president of the union representing deputies at the Prince George’s County Sheriff’s Office.

He said he’s not concerned about butting heads with MCGEO as sheriff and that he’s not beholden to the union.

Union haul

Milam’s campaign collected more than $51,000 in donations from police labor groups in Baltimore City and Prince George’s, Howard and Calvert counties. MCGEO donated $6,000, according to campaign finance reports. The campaign spent more than $74,000 — 81% of it on media.

The vast majority of contributions to Uy’s campaign — more than $22,000 — came from individual donations, according to campaign finance reports, which also showed more than $4,000 spent on printing and other expenses.

Uy, who was endorsed by MCGEO when he was elected in 2022, said he has no regrets about his tenure and relationship with the union and that he knew keeping the job would be difficult.

“I recognized it was going to be a challenge,” he said. “I’ve always been committed, focused on serving the community. I’ve always been consistent. … I’m very proud of my service and wouldn’t have done anything different.”

The job

Sheriff’s deputies transport inmates to and from court and protect judges and others in the courtroom. The office is tasked to respond to domestic violence orders, child support orders and red-flag court orders, and it serves evictions.

Milam said he knows Uy has supporters in the county and that he’s going to work for all its residents and a smooth leadership transition.

He said his priority and biggest challenge is improving the culture of the office and tackling the shortfall of deputies. Last year the office was about 30 short. Uy has said he has reduced the overall office shortfall, including deputies and civilian employees, to about 5%.

Milam said during the campaign that he wants deputies to respond to 911 domestic violence calls, among the most dangerous for law enforcement officers. He also wants to create a behavioral health unit to respond to court-issued psychiatric orders.

Milam said his widespread support from deputies shows they have an appetite for this work.

“We’re already doing a lot of that work on the back end. I just want to specialize in it, and I want to become better at it,” he said.