In court documents filed Monday, lawyers representing the Harford County Council outlined more evidence they say shows “secretive wrongful acts” by former council member Dion Guthrie, who was removed from his seat last month.

Among the documents submitted by Rifkin, Weiner, Livingston, LLC, on Monday is a Nov. 10 email from Guthrie asking Council President Patrick Vincenti for a “confidential” meeting “over a beer” to reach “an agreement.”

“No one has to know we met,” Guthrie wrote in the email.

“Just like the secretive wrongful acts that led to his automatic removal under the Maryland Constitution, that kind of proposed secret deal — which was rejected by Council President Vincenti — demonstrates why Mr. Guthrie should not sit on the council,” the legal team stated in the documents.

In an interview Monday, Guthrie said his email was merely a response to Vincenti’s own request to meet with him.

“In my time with the union, I have negotiated hundreds of contracts and thousands of grievances,” Guthrie said. “It is what you do when you solve issues — you get parties together and negotiate.”

Guthrie, 86, who had served several nonconsecutive terms on the council over 14 years, was charged with felony theft after he was accused of stealing between $5,000 and $25,000 from the International Brotherhood of Electric Workers Local 1501 in Cockeysville between Oct. 1, 2017, and Sept. 30, 2021. He has since paid back more than $23,000 in restitution.

Guthrie was removed from his seat on the council after he submitted a plea of nolo contendere to the felony charge. The state constitution requires that elected officials be removed from office when they submit a nolo contendere plea to felony charges.

Guthrie filed a lawsuit against Vincenti last week asking the court to declare that he remain a member of the County Council and requesting a temporary restraining order against Vincenti to prevent him from “interfering” with Guthrie’s official duties in office.

Guthrie’s attorneys, former Maryland Attorney General Douglas Gansler and former Deputy Attorney General J.B. Howard, argued that Guthrie’s plea of nolo contendere — which acknowledges that prosecutors have enough evidence to convict an offender — was not accepted by the court during his hearing Nov. 14.

According to the hearing transcript, Baltimore County Circuit Judge Dennis M. Robinson Jr. struck Guthrie’s plea, along with the guilty verdict, and granted him probation before judgment.

Attorneys representing the county argue that earlier in the transcript Guthrie’s attorney specifically asked the judge if he would accept Guthrie’s plea of nolo contendere, to which the judge replied, “I am.

That section of the transcript was not submitted with Guthrie’s lawsuit, and Harford County Circuit Court on Monday ordered Guthrie to provide the entire transcript. The order said the full transcript is “necessary” for the court to determine if Guthrie is entitled to the relief sought and the temporary restraining order he seeks against Vincenti.

Requests from Vincenti and his attorneys to the court include:

  • Dismiss Guthrie’s complaint and deny the motion for a temporary restraining order.
  • Stay all proceedings pending notice to the Maryland attorney general.
  • Dismiss the claims against him.
  • Stay the temporary restraining order proceedings or deny the motion without prejudice.
  • Order the filing of a superseding complaint naming the County Council of Harford County as the defendant.

Attorneys representing Vincenti and the council said the council does not have the ability to re-seat Guthrie and that the only way he can be re-seated is if the Democratic Central Committee formally nominates him to the council for appointment, or if he earns the most votes in the next election.

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