A Harford County Council member introduced a new, narrower version of a charter amendment Tuesday night that would limit who can serve on the County Council — the third attempt this year to change the rules around elected officials who also hold government jobs.
What’s happening: Council Member Aaron Penman introduced Bill 26-18, which would bar a sitting council member from holding another elected office, holding an appointed position in Maryland state government, Harford County government, or any Harford County municipality, or working as a county employee in an office directly controlled by the county executive or council. The bill is a charter amendment, meaning it cannot take effect unless Harford County voters approve it in a referendum.
What’s new: This version is significantly narrower than the bill that drew a packed and largely hostile public hearing in May. That earlier measure, Bill 26-09, was sponsored by Council Member Tony Giangiordano and was written broadly enough to bar teachers, sheriff’s deputies, correctional officers, social workers, and employees of nonprofits that accept county funding. Penman is sponsoring this version, and the language targets appointed and elected government positions and direct county employees rather than sweeping in the broader public workforce.
The backstory: The fight over Charter Section 207 — the part of the county’s governing document that sets qualifications for council members — has been running for years. County Executive Bob Cassilly tried to block Council Member Jacob Bennett from taking office in 2022 because Bennett works as a kindergarten teacher. The Maryland Supreme Court ruled in Bennett’s favor in 2023, finding no conflict of interest. A similar challenge involving Penman, a retired sheriff’s deputy, also failed. Supporters of changing the charter have argued the court’s ruling found the existing language ambiguous and called for clarification. Critics have said the push is political retaliation dressed up as a good-government reform.
The vote to kill it failed: When Penman finished reading the bill into the record, Council Member Tony Giangiordano immediately moved to reject it on introduction — a procedural step that, if successful, would have killed the bill before it could receive a public hearing. That motion needed five votes to pass. It got two. Council Members Giangiordano and James Reilly voted yes. Bennett abstained from the vote, and all other council members voted no. The bill therefore moves to a public hearing in October.
Ethics questions raised: Before the vote, Giangiordano raised a point of order, arguing that Penman should not be allowed to vote on a bill he sponsored because it directly concerns the eligibility of sheriff’s office employees to serve on the council. A prior ethics opinion, he said, addressed Penman’s obligations on matters affecting the sheriff’s office, and he found no record that Penman had sought or received ethics board authorization to sponsor or vote on this bill. Giangiordano made the same argument about Bennett, who works as a teacher and whose eligibility to serve has been at the center of the broader dispute. He asked both to recuse themselves.
The timeline: A public hearing on Bill 26-18 is scheduled for Tuesday, October 13, at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers. The council can vote on the bill that same night or at its next meeting October 20. The council cannot meet in November under the county charter because of the general election, and the current council’s term ends in early December. Several members will not be returning to the council after November’s election.
What this means for you: Harford County residents will have a chance to speak on the bill at the October 13 public hearing before the council votes.
About Representing You: Representing You is an ongoing series examining how elected and appointed officials use the power entrusted to them. We track how they vote, spend taxpayer money, use their time in office, and make decisions that affect the public, giving you the information you need to decide whether they are representing you or their own interests.
