Circuit Court Declares Public Teacher Jacob Bennett Cannot Serve On County Council

HARFORD COUNTY, MD — The Circuit Court has ruled in the case of a public school teacher who won a seat on the Harford County Council but was not supposed to serve in that capacity due to a conflict of interest, officials stated.

Harford County Public Schools kindergarten teacher Jacob Bennett won the seat in the last election. Bennett won his race by fewer than 100 votes in November, ousting incumbent councilman Curtis Beulah, Patch reported. However, he was not invited to the county's inauguration and swearing-in ceremony because, according to Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly, he couldn't serve as a county councilman due to his employment as a public school teacher.

Bennett was not added to the county payroll, given a county phone or reimbursed for mileage driven, which council members receive. The county filed its motion for preliminary injunction on Dec. 28, asking for Bennett to be removed from the council, according to Bennett's lawyer Joe Sandler. Bennett filed a counter motion for a preliminary injunction against Harford County in its suit that aimed to block him from serving on the County Council.

Cassilly has stated previously that a section of the county code prevents public school teachers from serving on the council: "a council member shall not hold any other office of profit or employment in the government of the state of Maryland, Harford County or any municipality within Harford County."

All Harford County Circuit Court judges had recused themselves from the case, so senior judge Richard Bernhardt, who had retired in 2021 from the Howard County Circuit Court, served as judge for the case, reported the Baltimore Sun.

“I took an oath to uphold the Harford County Charter, which clearly states that a Council member may not also be employed as a teacher for Harford County Public Schools. Today’s ruling affirms this fact. This case was never about Mr. Bennett personally, it was about upholding the law," Cassilly said in a statement released Wednesday.