Montgomery County District Attorney Pleased With Pennsylvania Supreme Court Ruling That Overturned 2009 Ethics Policy

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The district attorney in Montgomery County is pleased with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court which this week upheld two lower court rulings that overturned a county ethics policy enacted two years ago.

The two commissioners who supported the policy said it was a way to take politicking out of county offices. The policy banned employees in row offices from running for office or campaigning for other candidates while on the county payroll. But District Attorney Risa Ferman and then-sheriff John Durante sued the county claiming they were elected by the voters and should be allowed to run their offices without outside interference.

"The notion that someone outside of the District Attorney's Office was going to try to create policy or procedure that would be mandated within this office is absurd. It would not be different than Philadelphia City Council coming in and telling me how to do my job."

The Supreme Court, without opinion, agreed with the two lower courts that overturned the policy. Ferman believes it had nothing to do with ethics and called it a power play to try to control her office.

Reported by Brad Segall, KYW Newsradio