Former Harford County Councilman Dion Guthrie said he’s prepared to sue the county over his suspension from the council following his no contest plea to a felony theft charge.

In a Friday letter responding to the suspension, he and his attorney said they were “prepared to challenge [Guthrie’s] suspension” from the council “to the full extent the law allows.”

Guthrie, who had been serving on the council since 2002, had received a letter the day before from Council Attorney Meaghan Alegi informing him that he was removed from his position, hours after his hearing in Baltimore County Circuit Court.

In a Saturday email to The Aegis, Guthrie said Alegi had “no authority to write such a letter” and said she “should be fired,” as only the county executive has the authority to remove someone from council office. In a separate email, Guthrie wrote, “FYI. I will sue if necessary.”

Guthrie was charged with stealing between $5,000 and $25,000 from the International Brotherhood of Electric Workers Local 1501 between Oct. 1, 2017, and Sept. 30, 2021. The former president and business manager of the organization entered a plea of nolo contendere, which acknowledges that prosecutors had sufficient evidence to convict him without admitting guilt, to felony theft.

Baltimore County Judge Dennis M. Robinson Jr. accepted Guthrie’s plea then struck the guilty finding and granted him probation before judgment, citing Guthrie’s age and lack of a criminal record. He will serve one year of unsupervised probation.

Guthrie, 86, has already paid more than $23,000 in restitution to the Cockeysville-based local union after a U.S. Department of Labor investigation found that he had taken about $15,112 by using its American Express card for personal use, according to the department’s report. Some purchases included payments to an Ocean City beach rental in 2018 and to his Florida timeshare homeowner’s association.

In her letter, Alegi cited a portion of the state constitution that states “any elected official of the state or of a county … who during the elected official’s term of office entered a guilty plea or a plea of nolo contendere to any crime which is a felony or which is a misdemeanor related to the elected official’s public duties and responsibilities and involves moral turpitude … shall be removed from the elective office by operation of law and the office shall be deemed vacant.”

She said in the letter that Guthrie must turn in his county-issued work phone, badge and other county property.

Guthrie’s attorney, Domenic Iamele, argued that because Guthrie was given probation before judgment and not convicted, he should remain on the council.

“In Mr. Guthrie’s case, the grant of Probation Before Judgement required the court to strike the conviction and further required Mr. Guthrie affirmatively agreed that there was no conviction to appeal,” Iamele wrote in the letter to Alegi.

Iamele also cited the state constitution’s position on the event of an overturned or reversed finding of guilt of an elected official. If a reversal or overturn occurs, an elected official shall be reinstated by operation of law to finish out their term, according to the constitution.

Iamele argued that because Guthrie did not admit or was convicted of guilt, the outcome was identical to a reversal of conviction.

“Mr. Guthrie should remain on the Harford County Council by operation of law,” Iamele wrote.

He and Guthrie say Alegi “overstepped” her authority.

“Logically, one would think, that the authority to suspend an elected councilman would lie within the purview of the Harford County executive’s authority and/or by a resolution of a majority of the council,” Iamele wrote.

Alegi did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

Guthrie’s seat serving District A on the council has been deemed vacant since his hearing last week, according to Alegi’s letter.

Following the vacancy, the Harford County Democratic Central Committee must submit at least three people to the Harford County Council to be appointed within 60 days, per the county charter.

In a statement posted Saturday on Facebook, the committee said the charges against Guthrie “do not represent the values we expect in our Democratic elected officials.”

“We wish former Councilman Guthrie the best in his future endeavors and thank him for his service on the council to the residents of District A and to the county,” the statement reads.

The central committee’s chairman, Henry Gibbons, said during a phone call Sunday that they are in the process of preparing a solicitation to ask for applications, which should be open within the next few days.

Once the solicitation is active, it will remain public for two weeks. Eligible applicants must live within District A — southern Harford County — and must be a resident and qualified voter of Harford County for at least the past two years.

The Harford Democratic Central Committee will then host a special meeting, which Gibbons said will happen in December, during which candidates will be interviewed and a vote will be held on which candidates the committee submits to the council.

“I am not nervous at all about getting the number of applicants that we need,” Gibbons said. “I have seen substantial interest in the position so far.”

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