More than six months ago, in an effort to learn more about the status of your Central Precinct and Training Academy Project, Sheriff Gahler submitted a Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA) request to the County, on behalf of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office. A large aspect of this effort was an attempt to gain transparency concerning the actions of the Cassilly Administration and their relationship with MW Studios Architecture Master Planning (MWS). At the heart of Sheriff Gahler’s request was information related to the questionable selection of MWS to conduct a “feasibility” study of the HEAT Center project for the already approved and funded Sheriff’s Office Central Precinct and Training Academy. It appeared, from what had been reported in the media, that the motivation for MWS could be the potential promise of receiving a much larger capital project from Mr. Cassilly. In their review, MWS discredited the previously county approved architectural firm that engineered the Central Precinct and Training Academy Project, an award-winning firm that previously built our Southern Precinct and, more recently, the new Bel Air Town Hall/Police Department building.
As written in the initial request for public information, this conflict of interest, if true, would certainly raise many ethical questions. To that end, one of the items requested, six long months ago, was, “Any and all documents, letter[s] and/or emails to and from any County employee that mentions “MW Studios Architecture Master Planning” OR to or from an email address ending with “@mwsarch.com” since December 5, 2022.”
Since that time, the Cassilly Administration has refused to disclose public records responsive to the Sheriff’s request. As part of the required process to compel transparency from the County Executive, the issue was forwarded to the State’s MPIA Ombudsman, who, by law, exists for the sole purpose of mediating disputes concerning MPIA Requests. This mediation is required by law, and the Sheriff was willing to participate in the process to resolve this issue amicably. Mr. Cassilly and his Administration, however, continued their path of secrecy and refused to even participate in the mediation process. Based on this refusal, an official complaint was filed with the Office of the Attorney General’s Public Information Act Compliance Board (PIACP).
On March 19, 2024, the PIACB reached the conclusion that Mr. Cassilly’s Administration was in violation of Maryland law and ordered the Administration to disclose all records responsive to the lawful request.
PICAB Conclusion:
“We agree that, by refusing to search for records received or generated by County employees that may be responsive to the complainant’s [Gahler] PIA request, the County has effectively denied inspection of those records and thus violated the PIA. We direct the County to “conduct a search in good faith that is reasonably designed to capture all responsive records,” Glass, 453 Md. at 232, and to disclose all non-exempt responsive public records to the complainant, § 4-1A-04(a)(3)(i).”
The County Executive has stood alone in defunding your vital public safety project and, as the responsive documents that have the potential to offer some insight into the inner workings of this entire process have yet to be produced, Mr. Cassilly continues to stand in the way of sharing information that you, our citizens, are entitled to see.