Robert Cassilly (politician)

2014

In September 2013, Cassilly filed to run for Maryland Senate in District 34, seeking to succeed retiring state senator Nancy Jacobs.[5] He ran unopposed in the Republican primary election[11] and defeated Democratic state delegate Mary-Dulany James in the general election. At the same time, his younger brother Andrew Cassilly was elected as state delegate in District 35B and his other brother was re-elected as state's attorney.[2]

2018

Cassilly filed to run for re-election in January 2018.[12] He defeated former state delegate Mary-Dulany James in a tight general election on November 6, 2018, receiving 50.1 percent of the vote to James's 49.7 percent,[13] or by a 189 vote margin out of 48,788 votes cast.[14]

Cassilly was sworn into the Maryland Senate on January 14, 2015.[4]

• Member, Judicial Proceedings Committee, 2015–2022 (member, work group on COVID-19 & housing, 2020)[4]
• Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive and Legislative Review, 2015–2022[4]
• Joint Committee on Federal Relations, 2015–2022[4]

2022 Harford County executive election results by precinct

  Cassilly

•   50–60%
•   60–70%
•   70–80%
•   80–90%

  Miller

•   40–50%
•   50–60%
•   60–70%
•   70–80%

In April 2021, Cassilly opted not to run for re-election to a third term to the Maryland Senate, instead filing to run for Harford County executive.[15] He defeated rival Billy Boniface in the Republican primary on July 19, 2022,[16] and later defeated Democratic nominee Blane Miller III in the general election on November 8.[17] Cassilly was sworn in as county executive on December 5.[18]

Cassilly's first year as county executive was marked by infighting with the Harford County government, including the County Council, which he has described as "political attacks" by unnamed political entities in the county.[19]

Following his election, Cassilly moved to block newly elected Democratic county councilmember Jacob Bennett from attending the county's inaugural ceremonies, citing a Section 207 of the Harford County Charter, which prevents people with county or state jobs from serving on the county council.[18][20][21] In February 2023, Harford County Circuit Court Judge Richard Bernhardt ruled in Cassilly's favor, saying that Bennett could not serve on the county council until he resigned from his position as a middle school science teacher. Following this decision, Cassilly changed the locks on Bennett's office and restricted access to his government email account.[22] In April 2023, the Maryland Supreme Court overturned the lower court ruling, allowing Bennett to take office.[23]

In July 2023, County Councilmember Aaron Penman accused Cassilly of violating Maryland's wiretapping statutes by monitoring communications between Penman, county Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler, former county executive Barry Glassman, and various "targeted citizens". The emails were searched after the county human resources director asked the county Office of Information Technology director to search Penman's email for communications between him and various other officials in county government to determine if there was "any basis to suspect misuse of county funds". Penman had earlier accused Cassilly of misappropriating county funds by transferring $7 million from the county's general fund to the Department of Emergency Management. In a statement to Maryland Matters, Cassilly acknowledged monitoring Penman's emails, but denied any wrongdoing, asserting that county policy allowed for such reviews and attributing his accusations to politics.[24][25] A criminal investigation was opened into the wiretapping allegations by Harford County State's Attorney Allison Healey, and later turned over to the Office of the Maryland State Prosecutor to avoid conflicts of interest.[26][27]

In September 2023, Cassilly temporarily blocked county auditor Chrystal Brooks from accessing Workday, a financial reporting program used by the county, a potential violation of the county charter. The restrictions appear to have been placed in response to budget disputes from earlier in his term, including Cassilly's opposition to a new facility for the Harford County Sheriff's Department.[19] Brooks' access to the financial system was restored later in the week.[28]

In late September 2023, Healey threatened to sue Cassilly after he blocked her access to the email account of a "key employee who is on emergency family leave". Cassilly associated the request with the ongoing criminal investigation into Penman's wiretapping allegations and said that she could gain access to the emails if she released a statement denying Cassilly of any wrongdoing in the investigation.[29][30] Following the threat of a lawsuit, Cassilly granted Healey with access to new emails sent to the employee.[31]

In October 2023, Cassilly sought the removal of Penman from the Harford County Council, arguing that him serving as a councilmember and as a deputy sheriff was a violation of the county charter.[32] County Council President Patrick Vicenti rejected Cassilly's request to unseat Penman, saying that the council did not have the authority to remove him and suggested that Cassilly seek a court order to determine if Penman violated the county charter.[33]

During the 2017 legislative session, Cassilly voted against a bill that would give the Attorney General of Maryland the ability to sue the federal government.[34] He also opposed a bill that would give investigators in the Baltimore State's Attorney's Office police powers.[35]

In October 2017, after a man killed three co-workers and critically wounded two others in Edgewood, Maryland, Cassilly introduced a bill to allow judges to sentence people convicted of serial murder or murder of a law enforcement officer to death.[36]

In 2021, Cassilly voted against a bill that would end life without parole sentences for juveniles.[37]

In August 2023, following the murder of Rachel Morin on the Ma and Pa Trail, Cassilly ordered the installation of security cameras along the trail.[38]

During his county council candidacy in 2002, Cassilly said the council needed "to look at all revenue sources" to address infrastructure needs and should address growth holistically.[39]

In 2003, Cassilly said he opposed a proposal to limit the height of buildings in downtown Bel Air to five stories, expressing concerns that it would have unintended effects on the area.[40]

In 2004, after a gasoline leak at an Exxon station contaminated well water at 225 homes with methyl tert-butyl ether, Cassilly introduced a bill that would place a temporary moratorium on the construction of gas stations in Harford County.[41][42] The county council unanimously voted to pass the bill in September 2004,[43] and it was signed into law by County Executive James M. Harkins in the same month.[44] In 2005, Cassilly introduced a bill that would ban gas stations near homes with well water systems.[45]

In December 2004, Cassilly voted for a bill placing a 90-day moratorium on senior housing construction, expressing concern with the amount of senior housing development in the county.[46]

In February 2023, Cassilly proposed a six-month moratorium on permits for county warehouse projects.[47] The bill passed by a 6–1 vote and was signed into law on April 18, 2023.[48] In October 2023, Cassilly supported a bill to limit the size of warehouses built in Harford County, which passed the county council in a 5-2 vote.[49]

In 2018, following the Parkland and Great Mills high school shootings, Cassilly supported a bill that would put a school resource officer in every school.[50]

Cassilly opposes the Blueprint for Maryland's Future,[51] saying that he would not raise taxes as county executive to pay for the education reform plan.[52] In his first budget in April 2023, he proposed cutting the county's education by $19 million, which was criticized by the county Superintendent of Schools Sean Bulson as the "worst-case scenario".[53] Cassilly defended these cuts, pointing out that Harford County Public Schools had a $90 million surplus and was due to receive $20 million in funding from the Blueprint.[54][55] In May 2023, Cassilly and the Harford County school board reached an agreement to increase funding for Harford County Public Schools by $25 million.[56] He signed his budget into law on June 15, 2023.[57]

In 2003, Cassilly introduced a bill that would have created a ballot referendum on whether the Harford County Council should have the ability to hire an auditor to oversee the county's finances.[58] The bill was reintroduced in 2004 and passed by a 4–3 vote but was vetoed by County Executive James M. Harkins.[59]

In 2016, Cassilly opposed provisions in a bill that would require automatic government spending on several Baltimore-targeted programs.[60]

In November 2016, Cassilly said he opposed the Question A referendum in Harford County, which would move the county's property acquisition procedures from the Department of Procurement to the Department of Administration.[61]

During the 2016 legislative session, Cassilly introduced a bill to remove the "one shot" requirement from firearm safety training courses, arguing that it didn't "do anything to promote weapons safety".[62]

In 2018, Cassilly voted against a bill that would lessen the penalties for carrying an ounce of marijuana, which he said was "too high a threshold".[63] He also opposed a bill that would have created a referendum to legalize recreational marijuana.[64] During the 2019 legislative session, Cassilly introduced a bill to prohibit smoking or consuming marijuana in a vehicle on the highway.[65]

In 2019, Cassilly voted against a bill that would raise the state's minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025, calling it a "direct assault" on companies that offer entry-level positions.[66]

During the 2015 legislative session, Cassilly introduced a bill that would allow evidence of previous sexual assault allegations to be brought in to criminal trials.[67] In March 2020, he wrote to Republican members of the Maryland House of Delegates urging them to vote against a bill to extend the statute of limitations on child sexual abuse lawsuits, comparing the bill to the sexual assault accusations made against U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his nomination.[68]

In 2016, Cassilly voted against a bill to strip pro-Confederate lyrics from the state song, "Maryland, My Maryland", accusing legislators of erasing the history of people who felt deeply about their principles.[69] In 2018, he opposed a bill that would strip the song of its title as the official state anthem, distancing himself from the song's pro-Confederate sympathies but likening its reclassification to "book burning" and praising its homage to Maryland's military glories.[70] In 2021, he voted for a bill to scrap "Maryland, My Maryland" as the official state anthem.[71]

In January 2018, Cassilly objected to remarks made on the floor of the Maryland Senate condemning comments made by President Donald Trump calling Haiti, El Salvador, and African nations "shithole countries", saying that the remarks were "not appropriate matter for the Senate of Maryland".[72][73]

In 2019, Cassilly said he opposed a bill to legalize palliative care, saying he believed that it would shift the state's medical community's focus away from hospice care.[74]

During the 2020 legislative session, Cassilly voted to sustain Governor Larry Hogan's veto of a bill that would limit employers from asking a job applicant's criminal record.[75]

In 2016, Cassilly voted to sustain Governor Larry Hogan's veto on a bill that would require the governor to publicly rate and rank transportation projects before including them in the state budget.[76]