Former Harford County Council member Dion Guthrie has hired former Maryland Attorney General Douglas Gansler and former Deputy Attorney General J.B. Howard to carry out the lawsuit Guthrie intends to file against Harford County following his removal from office.

Guthrie said in a news release Monday that he believes there is “no basis or authority for the suggestion” that he “should be removed from council” and said he plans to continue as a council member.

He further called for Council President Patrick Vincenti to “immediately retract, correct and apologize” for his “slanderous and outrageous claim” that Guthrie is “no longer legally a council member.”

“I recognize that Mr. Vincenti is limited by not having the benefit of earning a law degree, but his charge and actions, taken without any authority under the law, are based on a complete lie that I entered a nolo contendere plea in a Baltimore County case, and that the judge accepted the plea,” Guthrie wrote.

He explained that the judge “unequivocally and indisputably” rejected his offer to the nolo contendere plea which he said would have contained no admission of wrongdoing.

Instead, Guthrie said the judge struck the plea and refused to enter a guilty verdict and gave him probation before judgment.

“To be clear, I have not pleaded guilty to any crime, nor have I been convicted of any crime in my life,” Guthrie wrote.

In preparation for a lawsuit with Guthrie, the Harford County Council has hired Rifkin Weiner Livingston, LLC — a law firm that specializes in government relations, operations and procedure — to represent the County Council.

Have a news tip? Contact Matt Hubbard at mhubbard@baltsun.com, 443-651-0101 or @mthubb on X.