Public Safety isn't just about police and sheriff's office personnel- there was a real public safety crisis in Harford. Cassilly quietly did his job and found a solution behind the scenes while others were whining, grandstanding, on the sidelines, or even worse- putting up obstacles to fixing this serious issue only to make a political point.

I think Cassilly has tried to hold the line on spending. Despite the cries of "defunding the police", the Sheriff's Office budget has almost DOUBLED their budget since "Buford T." Gahler took office. The constant whining about defunding the police has been one of the biggest lies I've seen constantly repeated by Harford County politicians in the 23 years I've been observing and active in Harford County politics. There have been regular wage increases for the sheriff and his deputies. The sheriff is paid over $202,000 annually, a senior deputy earns nearly $112,000 annually. A 21 year-old starting patrol deputy straight out of the academy with zero experience earns nearly $70,000 plus a generous benefits package and take-home vehicle. You can look at the pay scale HERE. No one at the sheriff's office is being defunded.

What Cassilly DID do was put the brakes on a shiny new building that Gahler wanted. Multiple studies have shown the

Moreover, it goes beyond bringing questionable people into to his inner circle accused of scandals at other counties and agencies. It goes beyond the poor judgment of plastering drinking events and challenges all over social media when you're the county's chief law enforcement officer. It goes beyond the insane hypocrisy of criticizing a decent man and sheriff like L. Jesse Bane who spent within his means as the head of the agency and was respectful of the taxpayers. Bane kept the budget flat for his 8 years in office, yet was criticized by Gahler as a "tax-and-spend" democrat. In Gahler's 12 years in office, his spending has gone from $69 million to almost $134 million.

That's not to say the budget should never increase, that deputies should never get raises, new cars, or new equipment. But when your budget nearly doubles when the population of your county has only increased by about 8.5%, you might have a spending and prioritization problem.

They say, "hindsight is always 20/20." I've lived long enough to accumulate some of that. Here's the hard part to think about when you consider yourself an informed person about politics and politicians- what if the person you once respected and thought was a good guy, really wasn't?

Would a good guy turn the county's premier law enforcement agency into a political playground, using deputies as pawns, props and political leverage against any who would oppose him in even the slightest way?

Would a good guy lie about the record of his predecessor who operated the agency with fiscal restraint, only to prove himself to be the very thing he accused of his opponent?

Would a good guy bring a man into the agency who had admitted, under oath, to misusing police resources in Anne Arundel County for political dossiers and vendettas against the political opponents of his boss, who was convicted of misconduct in office?

An honest appraisal of the situation requires me to answer "no". No, good guys do not do any of those things. Jeff Gahler hired Robey in 2014. In our April 30, 2023 newsletter, we said the following:

"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."

Things may be bad, but I still believe it's not too much to expect our public officials to have integrity and be truthful. You can argue whether or not peace officers and public officials should be held to a higher standard- but this isn't even that. They should at least be held to the SAME standards as the rest of us.

Following his escapades in AA County, Robey should have never been let anywhere near the inner workings of a law enforcement agency, except from the inside of a jail cell. And I now question the integrity of anyone, including Buford T. Gahler, who would create a new, high-paying position out of thin air- especially for a man like Robey.

At some point with that 20/20 hindsight, we need to be honest with ourselves and ask hard questions to which we might not like the answers. One of those nagging questions is, "Why in the world would the sheriff ever bring someone like Erik Robey into the inner sanctum of the Harford County Sheriff's Office?"

The uncomfortable, but only reasonable explanation is that Gahler planned all along to do exactly what he has done- turn the taxpayer-funded agency into a political machine with himself at the head as the kingmaker.

All this leads me into the obvious- the Harford County Sheriff's Office is in desperate need of new leadership at the top.

Does Keith Runk check every box for me? No. I'd like to hear him talk less about SWAT teams and more about how fragile our liberty is, and what he'll do as sheriff to defend it when the proverbial doo-doo hits the fan.

But Runk checks enough of them that without hesitation, he's the better choice in 2026, and not just by a little. I believe Keith understands the good will that's been squandered by the hyper-politicization of the current administration and will work hard to earn back the trust of the public.

We need to get spending under control in this county, and that's going to be difficult with Gahler weaponizing law enforcement and public sector unions against anyone who tries to exercise a modicum of fiscal restraint during these difficult times where folks are struggling to keep up with the cost of living, due in large part to our politicians' insatiable spending appetites (including Gahler) and the subsequent devaluation of every dollar we produce.

For the long-term good of Harford County, Gahler's political machine needs to be dismantled sooner than later, and that's going to be difficult if he's re-elected.

Runk has the training and resume to do the job. As I was writing this, I came across Delegate Lauren Arikan's endorsement of Keith Runk. It sounded better than what I was going to write, so I'm going to share hers:

"Our Deputies don’t deserve to be hyper-politicized and constantly used as political pawns. These are real people, with families who live in the county. Many of whom, privately, have reached out over the years to express great concern about how the Sheriff’s office has become distracted from policy and focused on politics.



"Enter: Keith Runk. I had the opportunity to meet with him and his delightful wife when they first announced. He is a man of great integrity according to the mutual friends we have and apparently according to Jeff Gahler— before Runk filed to run. I have complete faith that Keith is the conservative choice for Sheriff and will not spend a single minute hatching unserious plans to attack the best County Executive Harford County has ever had."

For what it's worth, Runk also enjoys the endorsement of Former Governor Bob Ehrlich.