Both Undocumented and Documented Democrats Join Forces to Attack Taxpayers, Bob Cassilly, and Undermine Fiscal Restraint

If there were ACTUAL cuts to either Harford County Public Schools (HCPS) or the Harford County Sheriff's Office (HCSO), we would be excited. But neither budget has been cut, and the deception, distortion and outright lies surrounding these two recent myths need to be exposed.

Like ungrateful teenagers who wanted a NEW car instead of a used one, bureaucrats and other elected officials are spewing ingratitude toward the taxpayers with insatiable demands for more taxpayer money. One thing needs to be understood- this isn't really an attack on Bob Cassilly. It's an attack on every hard-working taxpayer in Harford County. While the typical taxpayer's wages remain stagnant and costs of living are increasing, it has become very clear that the ruling class is never satisfied, no matter how many millions of dollars you increase their budget.

The Harford County Sheriff's Office Budget-Some History

Regarding the HCSO, Gahler's budget was $69 million when he was sworn in. By contrast, Democrat Jesse Bane held the line on spending and operated the agency with a budget between $60 and $69 million his entire 8 years in office. In his 2014 campaign, Gahler accused Bane of being a "tax-and-spend" Democrat. Gahler made sure all of his campaign signs were emblazoned with the word "REPUBLICAN" just so everyone knew he was a Republican and Bane was a democrat.

Who is Erik Robey?

Shortly after being elected, Gahler created a brand-new, high-paying position in his administration for "Director of Community and Legislative Affairs," a position that had never before existed in the history of the Harford County Sheriff's Office. Gahler had Robey in mind specifically for this position, and appointed him directly rather than through the normal hiring process. His salary is currently $113,904. We've talked about Robey before, but here's a few key details:

• Robey was the chief-of-staff for disgraced AA County Executive John Leopold, who was jailed in 2013 for misconduct in office.
• It was revealed in court that the Leopold Administration had used police resources to compile a dossier on Leopold's political rival, Joanna Conti.
• It was found in court that Leopold and his employees had dossiers on other political enemies as well.
• Robey also admitted in court that he had viewed the dossier on Conti, and casually dismissed this revelation because it "had little value".
• Robey admitted to doing campaign business while on county time in county facilities.
• Robey was given immunity from prosecution in exchange for his testimony against Leopold.
• Robey has a political consulting business, he appears to have received at least $273,000 from Harford County candidates alone in the 2022 election cycle, based on available campaign finance records.
• Robey was Former Deputy/ Councilman Aaron Penman's campaign adviser for his 2022 District B Council run.
• It appears Robey's Insider Management Group was paid by the HCDSU to develop and distribute pro-Healey and anti-Peisinger campaign materials during the 2022 State's Attorney race. This of itself is not illegal, we are just establishing the connections.

Back to the Budget

Jumping forward 10 years to 2024, the sheriff's budget has ballooned to nearly $118 million. You can see for yourself that in 2021, the HCSO general fund was just over $87 million. In 2022, that number increased to $93 million. 2023 showed an increase to $114 million, and Cassilly has proposed nearly $118 million for 2024. The budget has increased for the HCSO every year, and over $30 million just in the last three years. By no means are they being "de-funded". Gahler requested $140 million but "only" got $118 million. Remember, "conservative" Gahler had less than $70 million to work with when he was elected- so $140 million would have more than doubled the HCSO budget in just 8 budget years. The Sheriff himself has received nearly $60,000 in raises over the last two years, going from $143,000 in 2022, to over $193,000 in 2023, to a proposed $203,000 in 2024. Clearly no one is de-funding him, either.

Barry Glassman Connections

"Blank Check" Barry wrote an election year check in a failed effort to buy votes from core constituencies that the taxpayers should not be on the hook to cash. Not only did he lose his election- more importantly, taxpayers will also lose due to the fiscal irresponsibility of Glassman and the baseline for future reckless spending that he created. Not content with being a Hogan boot-licker and helping sabotage the campaigns of statewide republican candidates, Glassman is on a scorched-earth mission to destroy anyone with a hint of conservatism, including Cassilly. We've mentioned before that "Blank Check" Barry spent around $300,000 of CARES Act funding to produce campaign-style ads right before an election cycle in 2020 to help boost his name recognition beyond Harford County.

Not to get off on a tangent, but you can read about the ineffectiveness of masks and lockdowns HERE, HERE, and HERE. Had Barry been the slightest bit intellectually curious- or simply read the Maryland Constitution to determine whether or not people's basic rights to work, worship, travel and gather could legally be suspended, we might not be in such a big mess. Rather than being a courageous leader, Barry was a good little sheep and did exactly what Larry Hogan told him to do, even as Lockdown Larry himself was violating procurement rules to spend millions on Covid tests from Korea that didn't work.

Back to the matter at hand....most Harford County Republicans know that Billy Boniface and Barry Glassman are two peas in a pod. Barry helped Billy get elected to the County Council President gig, and then brought Billy into his administration after his election as County Executive. When Barry was term-limited out as County Executive, it was Billy's "turn" to be County Executive.

Greasing the Wheels

Glassman spent the last year of his elected office not just hiding from constituents angry over pornographic books in schools, a poorly performing public education system, and lockdowns- he spent millions and millions of taxpayer dollars to build up support for his heir apparent, and build some street cred with the police and the public school voting blocs. Regardless of who won the County Executive race, Barry himself would never have to deal with the fallout of his irresponsible spending- he'd either be in Annapolis as Comptroller, or a private citizen. Rather than face angry taxpayers and concerned parents, Barry gallivanted all over the state campaigning for Comptroller, and let the hired help like Cindy Mumby deal with the trivial concerns of his loyal Harford subjects, like eating and paying their bills.

Gahler the Kingmaker?

It's no secret in Harford political circles that Gahler has frequently bragged to others, "I'm the most powerful elected official in Harford County." Nearly every elected official and candidate running for office seeks the endorsement of law enforcement, especially county-wide office holders and elected officers of the court, such as the State's Attorney and Clerk of the Court. During the 2022 election cycle, Gahler appeared in uniform voicing statements of support on candidate literature, signs, websites, social media, and mass mailings. Some of these candidates include: Patrick Vincenti, Billy Boniface, Aaron Penman, Al Peisinger, and pro-lockdown, "no jab, no job" candidate for Governor Kelly Schulz. Gahler was also aligned with Butch Tilley in his senate campaign, as well as pro-developer Council E representative Jessica Boyle-Tsottles. The sheriff's union (HCDSU) put out an endorsement piece after not even inviting several council and senate candidates to speak to the union to determine their positions on public safety issues. Deputy (now Councilman) Aaron Penman was president of the HCDSU at the time, and of course he was endorsed by the union without ever hearing from the opposition candidate in his race as well. It's perfectly fine for all of these people to support each other, but it's not fine to put your hand on the scale with endorsements from a group that never interviewed all the candidates, didn't send out candidate questionnaires to all candidates, and kept candidates who sought their endorsement out of the loop because the decision had already been made in advance.

While it may not be illegal to be photographed in uniform to endorse the candidates of your choice, many have expressed ethical concerns in doing this, as it can be construed as "using the color of office" to influence elections. This is exactly why Gahler's predecessor avoided doing it. If you want to endorse someone, it's certainly your constitutional right to do so. If you are a public official, however, you should ensure that it is clear the endorsement is your own, as a private citizen- not that of your office.

Gahler's Ambition

Gahler has made multiple trips to Annapolis and DC to testify for and against various pieces of legislation. It's not unusual for police executives to do this when there are bills being debated that can affect their agencies. However, the frequency of this occurrence has created much speculation that he has further political aspirations in mind, beyond being sheriff. He appears to be laying the groundwork to run against Cassilly in 2026, which would explain these early attacks to weaken Cassilly. He recently held a fundraiser with his logo conspicuously missing the word, "SHERIFF". It read only "GAHLER 2026" on a Harford County silhouette with "the thin blue line" emblazoned across the banner.

Closing Thoughts...

Why would a man with Robey's background be brought on board to work as a paid employee of the county's premier law enforcement agency? Such a man has no business being near the inner workings of a law enforcement agency, except from inside a jail cell. Law enforcement wields an enormous amount of power, and citizens need to be able to trust their law enforcement officials to be fair and impartial when performing their duties. This is impossible when you have an individual at such high levels in the HCSO who has already admitted, under oath, to this kind of misconduct.

In the Dagger article when Robey was hired, Gahler said of Robey, "He was placed in a position where he didn't feel he could say no" to County Executive Leopold's Illegal and unethical demands.

But isn't that what separates those of us with integrity with those of us who don't? Is it too much to expect people who work at the Sheriff's office to do what's right, even if there are consequences? We all have tough choices to make in life, and the decisions we make are what define our character. Robey could have been a whistle blower. He could have refused to participate in wrongdoing, but he didn't. He rolled over on his boss Leopold only after ensuring he himself wouldn't be prosecuted by cutting an immunity deal.

Indeed, we don't need to guess what happens when government officials use the excuse, "I was just following orders." If we look back to WWII, we will be reminded of the horrible things that happened in Germany because of their lack of courage and character- and didn't feel they were in a place to say no. For those with shorter memories, we need only go back to the lockdowns of 2020, when we listened to a chorus of non-leaders and impotent elected officials like Glassman, Vincenti and Gahler who refused to stand up against illegal and tyrannical behavior in the name of public health.

We urge the sheriff to stop using the agency as a political playground and begin working to ensure the HCSO can be trusted to be a fair and impartial keeper of the peace, rather than gearing up for his next political run. Most deputies are not political and signed up to protect and serve the public. These good deputies should not have their character and motives questioned because of the shenanigans of their leader. Gahler would be wise to fire Robey immediately to show the public he is serious about regaining public trust and operating the agency with courage, honor and integrity- just as it reads on the side of the patrol cars. If Gahler is unwilling to do this, as we suspect he will be- you can rest assured that he most certainly is not interested in Protecting the Rights of All Citizens with Courage, Honor, and Integrity.

We genuinely hope he finds his way and proves us wrong.