Judge Orders Release of Withheld Text Messages as Public Demands for Transparency Intensify
Bel Air, MD – December 1, 2025 – For the third time, a Maryland court has ruled that the Cassilly Administration has again violated the State’s Public Information Act (PIA), reinforcing growing concerns about the County Executive’s disregard for transparency and public accountability.
On November 17, 2025, Circuit Court Judge W. Michel Pierson issued a decisive ruling upholding the Public Information Act Compliance Board’s (PIACB) January 22, 2025, order. The ruling mandates the release of text messages sent by County Executive Bob Cassilly to County Council President Patrick Vincenti during a public Council meeting on April 16, 2024. The messages were sent during the meeting in which the Council voted to approve Mr. Cassilly’s $1,000,000 settlement payout based on the threat of a lawsuit related to a deputy involved shooting. Deputies were cleared of any wrongdoing by two separate Harford County State’s Attorneys and the Attorney General’s Independent Investigations Unit, and Sheriff Gahler stood strongly opposed to the payout.
The text messages were sent from the County Executive to the Council President during the Council members’ public comments, just minutes before the vote took place. These text messages were determined to be public information by the PIACB, not exempt from disclosure and subject to mandatory release under Maryland law.
In what appears to be an informal rebuke by the Judge, a footnote was added to the findings expressing the Judge’s dissatisfaction with the Cassilly Administration’s refusal to provide the text messages to the PIACB for its review. Ironic indeed that the same Administration that openly admitted to intercepting a Councilman’s text messages and call information without any legal process, stands so resistant to transparency when it comes to its own public activities and the activities of the County Executive.
In addition, Judge Pierson also soundly rejected the Cassilly Administration’s claim that the separation of powers between the Legislative, Judicial and Executive Branches of Government do not exist at the local Harford County level. In addition to using this argument to deny the MPIA in this matter, the Cassilly Administration has also used this claim as one of many outlandish defenses to criticisms that they inappropriately accessed emails and text messages from a member of the Legislative Branch in our County.
Rather than comply with the PIACB decision, the Cassilly Administration chose to fight the ruling in court, again arguing executive privilege and other unsupported claims. Judge Pierson rejected those arguments outright, stating there is no legal grounds to justify withholding the messages and affirming that they are public records.
Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler, who submitted the original request, responded to the ruling:
“This is now the third time the courts have had to remind the Cassilly Administration that the law applies to them too. These repeated violations are not just legal failures; they are a betrayal of public trust. The people of Harford County deserve transparency, not obstruction. They deserve leaders who respect the law, not ones who waste taxpayer dollars fighting to keep public records hidden. Judge Pierson’s ruling is a clear message: enough is enough.”
Despite the court’s order and more than 19 months of delay, the Cassilly Administration has still not released the text messages. This continued refusal to comply with lawful requests raises serious questions about what is being hidden.
Sheriff Gahler concluded:
“Your taxpayer dollars were used by County Executive Cassilly to pay out a $1,000,000 settlement to a woman who admittedly purchased a firearm for her estranged husband, who was prohibited from owning or possessing firearms, and then reported to law enforcement that he was in possession of firearms when deputies were forced to take his life. It is important for the public to know what the County Executive was texting to the Council President just minutes before the Council voted to spend tax dollars to payout this frivolous and unnecessary payment.”