A few months ago the Cecil County Government voted to add a question to the ballot to amend the Cecil County Charter “to provide that non-elected Board Members, Committee Members, and Employees of State, County and Municipal Agencies, not directly supervised or substantially controlled by the Executive or Council, to be qualified to be County Council Members.”

At first glance, this amendment seems harmless. After all, why would we want to prohibit anyone from participating in a civilian controlled government? That’s the question proponents of this bill would ask in order to gain your support.

But our civilian controlled government is built on checks and balances that prevent any one entity from gaining power over the other. If this Charter Amendment were to pass, union groups and businesses that sell services to the county would in effect become political parties themselves, because they would be able to push their members as candidates and if elected, they would be able to vote on and influence spending (and favor the organizations from which they originate).

Hypothetically speaking, a member of the Teacher’s Union could become part of the Council and vote to increase spending to the Cecil County Public Schools. The June Primary has proven to be a referendum on excessive tax & spend policies, and the people overwhelmingly supported the candidates with the message to trim the fat and lessen corruption in our local government.

Forget the drama between Republicans and Democrats. A measure like this would cut out the middleman and allow the special interest groups to assume direct control.

There have been some cases of conflict of interest, that some see this amendment as solving, such as Councilor Bob Meffley holding his seat while his business (H&B Plumbing) is under contract by the County Government, and the case against Jackie Gregory (who left her job as a substitute teacher to resolve a complaint against her). However, the potential negatives outweigh the positives.

And if we allow this, what is next? Are they going to put forward next an amendment to allow the County Executive to hold outside employment? What’s going to stop them?

No policy is going to be one size fits all, that’s why Democracy exists. But we should be careful of any change that will allow groups to gain indisputable power over others by being larger and more powerful. This is why our federal government has the electoral college to give small states a say in who becomes president, and why Benjamin Franklin described democracy as two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch and liberty as a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.

The post Opinion: Vote “No” on Question A: Charter Amendment County Council Qualifications appeared first on Cecil County News.

This article follows up on an earlier story, Alan McCarthy’s Illegal Censorship of Constituents

To recap: it is illegal for elected public officials to censor their constituents and silence their voice on any public forum. In 2018, the ACLU settled a lawsuit with Governor Larry Hogan for deleting comments on his official Facebook page, and a federal court ruled that President Trump could not block individuals who post negative comments on his Twitter account. In 2019, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in 2014 that the comments section of a public official’s social media account is a public forum and discrimination against contrary opinions is not allowed.

Vincent S. Sammons of Rising Sun, MD, has recently filed a lawsuit against the Cecil County Government, naming Alan McCarthy, Alfred Wein, Jason Allison, Jennifer Lyall, Maggie Tome, Bob Meffley, Deborah Sniadowski, Brian Miller in both individual and official capacity as defendants.

The suit contends that the defendants named have purposely violated Mr. Sammons’ First and Fourteenth Amendment rights, as well as Article 40 of the Maryland Declaration of Rights. These alleged violations occurred when Mr. Sammons was blocked from posting and commenting on the Facebook page, “Dr. Alan McCarthy, Cecil County Executive”; when Mr. Sammons video feed was blocked during a virtual county meeting held on Zoom due to the COVID-19 pandemic; and when Mr. Sammons’ email was blocked from contacting the county government by States Attorney Jason Allison.

Screenshots and other documentation have been provided to the court by Mr. Sammons’ attorney as evidence.

As many know, Vincent Sammons has been a resident of Cecil County for many years. He was once president of the Rising Sun Chamber of Commerce and is now the Chairman of the Cecil County Republican Central Committee. He is a self-made businessman and his name has become widely known for his social media presence and outspoken criticism of corruption in the County Government and special interest groups backing it (which has resulted in repeated harassment against him by the County and members of the Cecil Business Leaders PAC “CBL” over the years).

Another county resident, Rob Perkins of North East, sympathetic to this case, has started a fundraiser to assist with Mr. Sammons’ legal fees.

In an era where civilian controlled government has become threatened by increasingly powerful organizations and institutions and may soon cease to exist, it is the right and duty of the citizens to question and challenge the establishment and ensure what President Lincoln described as the government of the people, by the people, and for the people, continue to endure.

The full PDF formatted complaint can be viewed by clicking on the image of the complaint above.

The post Cecil County Government Sued For Constitutional Violations appeared first on Cecil County News.

In what could probably be the most predictable move in history, County Executive Incumbent, Alan McCarthy filed a lawsuit against Danielle Hornberger and the Board of Elections in an attempt to claim re-nomination for his office after suffering a devastating defeat last June.

Hornberger’s victory was foreshadowed by a Maryland Matters poll illustrating a commanding lead over the other three contenders for the County’s highest office. Running on a Pro-Trump ticket alongside councilor Jackie Gregory and Rep. Andy Harris, she took more than 60% of the vote that night. Her victory came despite ten long months of persistent smearing and libelous conduct by Executive McCarthy and his Good Old Boys/Cecil Business Leaders supporters.

The lawsuit, which was filed around the end of July, alleged that Hornberger was not eligible to be on the ballot because the county’s department of human resources could not locate Hornberger’s financial disclosure form. And they claimed that a fraud had been committed because a replacement had been backdated to last November.

The lawsuit sought an injunction on her candidacy, which in their opinion would make McCarthy the winner as he was runner up in the race. And coinciding with that, several supporters of Alan McCarthy stormed social media spreading disingenuous claims of voter fraud on Hornberger’s part along with other slurs.

But apart from creating a negative fracas to discredit her victory, not unlike the claims of Russian interference leveled against President Donald Trump, the lawsuit was without merit. Any hypothetical misconduct would be entirely on the Board of Elections and not the candidate. According to reports, a probe into the Board has been opened up, but unlike our competitors, we will not speculate on what will be found or the outcome.

The facts are also that a financial disclosure form is not necessary to appear on the ballot. The only penalty for not submitting one is a fine. The claims of forgery and fraud also do not stand, as anyone given permission may sign your name to a document, and the Board of Elections has full authority to help people fill out those documents if asked. You also do not have to appear in person to have a document submitted.

Removing Hornberger from the ballot and having the runner up named as the winner is also not within the judicial power; we don’t change elections post hoc. That is not how democracy works. At most, McCarthy could have demanded a do-over, in which Hornberger would still be on the ballot and results likely be the same.

And after a court battle likened by some to Perry Mason and comments that her lawyer was unprepared and did not know the facts, Hornberger emerged victorious as the judge ruled in her favor over Executive McCarthy.

Cecil County News will continue to report on the election throughout the coming months.

The post McCarthy Lawsuit Fails As Judge Rules in Favor of Danielle Hornberger appeared first on Cecil County News.

As always, thank you for watching Cecil County News.

The post A Travesty of Justice – Episode 3: A Mistake Repeated More Than Once Is A Decision appeared first on Cecil County News.

Does he have a case? You decide.

Supporting Documents:

Kosogof’s Testimony (Including G1-G21)

Loan Application (C2-C5)

Security Title Insurance Policy (H2-H11)

Bank Origination ((C6-C13)

The post A Travesty of Justice: Episode 02 – The Trial, Pt. 01 appeared first on Cecil County News.

Watch the first episode of our new documentary series, A Travesty of Justice, now.

The post A Travesty of Justice: Episode 01 – The Beginning appeared first on Cecil County News.

To some, it might seem like no big deal when a post or comment on Social Media gets deleted for any reason. Others might fly in the other direction and claim that their free speech is being suppressed.

But in the case of elected officials, censorship of constituents is illegal to do, be it an official forum or the internet.

In 2018, the ACLU settled a lawsuit against Governor Larry Hogan for $65,000 for deleting comments of constituents on Facebook, meanwhile a federal court ruled that President Donald Trump could not block negative commentators on his Twitter account.

In 2019, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in Davison v Randall that the comments section of a public official’s social media account is a public forum and discrimination against contrary opinions is not allowed.

Source: https://www.aclu.org/legal-document/fourth-circuit-court-decision-davison-v-randall

Alan McCarthy, the Executive of Cecil County has adopted the same habit of deleting and blocking accounts from being able to comment on his page, particularly when they comment on his ethics abuses and illegal activities.

Ernie Beck, a citizen recently went viral on Facebook for exposing an anti-Trump message posted on McCarthy’s personal Facebook account that runs counter to his claims of being a Trump Republican. Beck today reported with evidence that McCarthy deleted the same comment he made twice before blocking him entirely.

McCarthy has also blocked Republican Central Committee chairman Vincent Sammons and many other residents of Cecil County for calling out his ties to corrupt business leaders and left-wing special interest groups.

The post Alan McCarthy’s Illegal Censorship of Constituents appeared first on Cecil County News.

In the last few weeks, there have been more than a dozen ethics complaints have been filed against County Executive Alan J. McCarthy, focusing on his proven violation of the county charter laws that pertain to outside business/income. One of the accusers, whose identity shall remain anonymous, shared a copy of his personal complaint with Cecil County News, as well as the reply that it was disregarded.

As we previously reported, Alan McCarthy runs a real estate business on the side of his political career. The county charter, article 4 section 405 (b) states that the Executive shall devote full time to the duties of the office and may not participate in any private occupation for compensation.

Renting out houses certainly qualifies as a private occupation for compensation, doesn’t it? Even if you ignore the more damning elements such as fraudulently suing former business partners to recoup losses under an LLC you created specifically to mask your identity, it still is pretty cut and dry.

More than a few attempts have been made to bring this issue to public attention. Councilman Bill Coutz was handed evidence at the County Fair and refused to pass it to the rest of the Council. The Ethics Commission dismissed every single complaint made by county residents as not their jurisdiction.

But if it’s not the County Ethics Commission’s job to handle violations of county laws by county officials, then why do we have these laws if there is no one to enforce them? Why are the same people pounding Jackie Gregory over her day job as a substitute teacher, ostensibly on the same grounds, but giving a pass to another official?

Remember: All seats on the Ethics Commission are filled by the Executive.

Impartiality seems to be difficult for them.

What is perhaps the most insidious part of this whole thing is that not only did the County Ethics commission ignore the dozen complaints against Executive McCarthy, they also provided copies of the complaints to him containing the names and information of the people who issued them, effectively marking them with a bullseye for retaliation.

This itself is a violation of the County Code as it pertains to confidentiality. Cecil County Code Chapter 39 section 10 (H) states: “After a complaint is filed and until a final finding of a violation by the Commission, all actions regarding a complaint are confidential. Notwithstanding any other provision of the law to the contrary, upon the filing of a complaint, and unless and until a finding of violation has been made, the proceedings, meetings, and activities of the Commission and its employees in connection with the complaint shall be conducted in a confidential manner. The Commission, its staff, counsel, the complainant and the respondent shall not disclose any information relating to the complaint, including the identity of the complainant and the respondent, except that the Commission may release any information at any time if the respondent has, in writing, agreed to said release.”

The commission cannot argue that it had any validity to leak the information to the accused person when it never even began to investigate when they rightly should have.

The double standard is glaring. The self-perceived ruling class has their own set of rules to abide by, meanwhile anyone who isn’t part of the club gets scrutinized for anything that could be interpreted as a violation of the most obscure rule.

The post Ethics Commission Ignores +12 Complaints Against McCarthy, and Violates County Code by Sharing Identities appeared first on Cecil County News.

Cecil County’s Republican primary inches closer to its end with incumbent Alan McCarthy and frontrunner challenger Danielle Hornberger neck-in-neck according to new polls.

The night of Friday, March 06, 2020, Hornberger hosted a Birthday Bash fundraiser at the American Legion’s Perryville branch to celebrate her 39^th. The event, described as an evening of good food, drink and conversation included a seafood buffet line and a cash bar, and was attended by many individuals from the community, as well as both current and former elected officials.

Congressman Andy Harris also planned to attend that night but regretfully was unable to make it. However, the congressman did extend his professional endorsement to Danielle Hornberger, who also revealed her selection as a delegate for President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign.

But more important than the politicians, commentators and endorsements is the turnout for the event. Dozens of locals from across Cecil County turned out to help the birthday girl celebrate her big day and support her campaign for County Executive.

In the cacophony of conversation and revelry the question, “What makes Danielle Hornberger unique,” was spoken. We know her experience as an educator and the County’s liaison to Andy Harris, but what sets her apart from the other candidates in this election is what connects her to the seventy-five people who joined in the festivities.

She’s just like you, a wife, a mother, a hard worker; a part of the community she wants to serve. Hornberger’s campaign is not for her own advancement, but to return the power over Cecil County’s future to the people who live here and who right now have to pay for their lives to be disturbed by the multiple development projects being hammered through by the current County Executive.

Her critics (primarily supporters of incumbent Alan McCarthy) attack her as cruel and unfairly as the far-left attacks President Donald Trump. Mockery and vicious criticism are a staple reaction when you dare to speak truth to power and call out their corruption, as blatantly obvious as it may be.

What’s important to remember is that when they try to discredit and slander her, every insult and subversive tactic is really aimed toward you, the everyday blue-collar man and woman. These snobby elitists believe they bear the exclusive right to rule over, simply because they view themselves as smarter and inherently better.

That is exactly why the people must stand with Danielle Hornberger. Would you rather support someone who has struggled as you struggle, and would empower us all to help ourselves, rather than pay higher taxes to subsidize our own jobs while being treated as second-class citizens?

The taint in Cecil County’s government is as rank and foul as the swamp in Washington, and voting for the same old establishment will not change things. Only an uprising of grassroots conservatives will get the job done. A vote for Danielle is a vote for you. Take back the power to decide what is in your backyard.

The post A Vote for Danielle Hornberger is a Vote for You appeared first on Cecil County News.

It hasn’t been long since Councilman William “Bill” Coutz entered into the already heated primary for Cecil County Executive. The move provoked a dichotomous response from county residents across social media due to the sharp division between supporters of incumbent Alan Judson McCarthy and the frontrunning challenger, Danielle Hornberger.

Last fall, Danielle Hornberger issued her primary challenge to Executive McCarthy, along with Rising Sun resident Ewing McDowell, expressing contempt for the incumbents outright failure to uphold his campaign promise of fighting tax increases, and for violating the laws of the County Charter which prohibit him from holding any office of profit while serving as County Executive.

Despite the insistence contrary by biased sources skulking local message boards, Hornberger’s message of repealing McCarthy’s property tax and wastewater fees hikes and supporting the everyday worker, whose largest concerns are affording their gas and groceries, not how big and flashy the new $18,000,000 library will be. She’s proven to be more than just a pretty face.

And now Coutz has thrown the gauntlet and announced his candidacy and a platform eerily similar to Hornberger’s, specifically opposition to the tax increases. This comes as the McCarthy echo chamber does its darndest to smear her reputation with the community.

Obviously, this is just a half-baked attempt to divide the vote and allow McCarthy an easy victory. We saw this in 1992 when Republican Ross Perot ran as an independent against incumbent George H.W. Bush and Democratic Candidate Bill Clinton and allowed Clinton to become president with less than 51% of the Electoral College behind him.

If you look closely at Coutz’s history of campaign contributions via campaignfinance.maryland.gov, you will see a money trail leading from not only Alan McCarthy, but his inner circle and the organizations that support them, which contradicts his current political message.

06/11/2018 – Cecil Business Leaders for Better Government PAC (“Non”-Profit Organization) – $5,000

05/19/2018 – Republican Club of Cecil County (Political Club) – $1,000 (Note: The Republican Club of Cecil County has been under the control of McCarthy due to fraudulent elections)

02/15/2018 – McCarthy, Alan J (Individual) – $100

05/17/2018 – McCarthy, Alan J (Individual) – $200

04/07/2018 – Meffley, Bob (Individual) – $80

05/10/2018 – Meffley, Bob (Individual) – $100

02/15/2018 – Owens, Roger Lee (Individual) – $50

04/07/2018 – Owens, Roger (Individual) – $80

05/10/2018 – Owens, Roger Lee (Individual) – $50

04/07/2018 – Alt, Robert Joseph (Individual) – $80

04/14/2018 – Alt, Robert Joseph (Individual) – $50

So, how exactly can he run against McCarthy’s agenda when it and his supporters were his biggest contributors in 2018? Take care to remember that he supported the infamous increase in utility fees McCarthy put forth so that his business partners could get free water and sewer. This isn’t some television show where the recipient of financial support has a change of heart and takes a moral stand, the gift of legal tender comes with strings attached, and those strings do not simply vanish on a whim.

If you’re a resident of Elkton along 213 where the Southfields development is planned; if you’re a resident of Perryville tired of the warehouses being put up in your back yard; if you’re a resident of Rising Sun angry that the County overreaching its authority to block the town’s mandatory utility expansion; if you’re someone who just wants peace and quiet around your home instead of the constant noise of cars and trucks, Coutz is not on your side. He is bought and paid for by the people making it happen.

The post Don’t Forget Coutz’s Ties to Local Corruption appeared first on Cecil County News.