County Executive Bob Cassilly thanks the Harford County Council for voting for his FY24 budget, which:

1. Prevents tax hikes
2. Provides pay raises to law enforcement
3. Fully funded schools according to the State of Maryland recommendations
4. Supports business growth and development, as well as our agricultural community
5. Enabled County government to take over the countywide ambulance services, as requested by the Harford Volunteer Fire & EMS Foundation
6. Reduces the county’s structural deficit by 25%

A message from Bob Cassilly

Dear Friend,

My Administration has worked very hard over the past eight months to provide citizens with open, ethical, and effective government.

The behind-the-scenes dealings that were far too prevalent in county government have been replaced by a government that is transparent and treats everyone fairly, without partiality, and competently.

So why has my administration been the target of repeated allegations of improper conduct?

Unfortunately, we live in a world where the politics of personal destruction and headline-grabbing are too often a substitute for good governance.

In the past seven months, my Administration and I have taken a number of actions, including some noted below, that have made me the target of extensive personal attacks:

1. I championed a successful moratorium on mega warehouse projects that were pushed through by my predecessor. That moratorium was opposed by Councilman Aaron Penman.
2. I reversed the prior administration’s support for a deforestation plan that resulted in improper clearcutting of well-established forest buffers that would have shielded existing neighborhoods from a major warehouse project. That reversal drew intense condemnation from Councilman Penman’s campaign manager who accused me of unethical conduct.
3. I introduced a bill to stop the ongoing sprawl of high-density housing into the rural areas of the county, including the planned apartment complex in Fallston. That effort was defeated when two council members, including Councilman Penman, bowed to powerful developer interests and abstained from the vote.
4. I refused demands to immediately fund a new police precinct and training academy where those plans had not been subject to a thorough review of funding availability or location suitability. Those plans were approved by the outgoing County Executive, Barry Glassman, on his way out the door. However, Mr. Glassman did not see fit to incur the immense costs of these projects during the eight years of that administration. My delay of those projects has made me the target of many months of personal attacks by Councilman Penman and Sheriff Gahler.
5. I submitted a fiscally responsible budget and stood my ground against an intense campaign of personal destruction by the teachers’ union, Councilman Penman, and Sheriff Gahler.
6. After my Administration identified funds that we proposed to use to cover expanded emergency service operations, we were attacked by Councilman Penman, who alleged misappropriation of those funds, a charge that was refuted by the County Council's own auditor but is still being repeated by Councilman Penman.

Other actions taken that could result in more personal attacks include:

• My administration issued stop-work orders on two major development projects that were not in compliance with environmental regulations.
• And we issued record fines on a developer for violation of stormwater management regulations and the resulting pollution of local streams.

I will not be bullied or threatened into action. Good governance arises from integrity and competence, not capitulation or self-promotion.

I appreciate your support as I continue to lead, unflinching and undeterred by false and misleading attacks, Harford County into a new era of ethical, transparent, and good government.

Bob