According to the Taneytown City Council, the Mayor’s termination of the city attorney in November was illegal. Attorney Jay Gullo is back and the council is moving forward as if the firing never occurred.
Mayor Chris Miller, who single-handedly fired Gullo on a Sunday in November, is unhappy but willing to move forward.
"I do not believe what has happened here tonight is in the best interest of the public," Miller said. "There needs to be a focus on serving our residents instead of individuals and power struggles."
The City Council’s unanimous decision came after a 2.5-hour closed-door executive session. Councilmen Chris Tillman reading the motion, Council members did not comment on the matter - a stark difference from the often heated debates that occurred during the past several meetings. Councilwoman Diane Foster was absent from the meeting.
The resolution stated the council believed Miller’s actions "left the city in a precarious position," especially since he fired Gullo without a Plan B. City Manager James Wieprecht said after the meeting the city posted a request for proposals for a new attorney but did not receive any response. The posting has been removed in light of Wieprecht’s rehiring.
"Based on the outcome of Monday’s meeting, there’s no intent to repost that or develop a new RFP for an attorney," Wieprecht wrote in an email.
The Council’s decision was based on a recommendation from Attorney Kevin Best of Annapolis. Fuller said after the meeting that the council directed Wieprecht to seek an opinion from an impartial lawyer who was not located in Carroll County.
"I think his credentials are impeccable," Fuller said.
According to his website, Best focuses his practices primarily in the areas of municipal, homeowners association, business, real property, landlord-tenant, and land use law. He previously served on the staff of the Maryland Municipal League.
In a four-page letter dated Dec. 28, 2023, addressed to Miller and the City Council, Gullo stated he foreshadowed his firing on Sept. 16, 2023, when he wrote what he referred to as a "whistleblower memo" to the council reporting on the "questionable and undisclosed activities of the Mayor and City administration."
The Council also asked Gullo on Nov. 8 to investigate who leaked privileged information. In September, a citizen filed a Public Information Act request that included specific information only available to Council members and the Mayor, Gullo said.
When asked, Fuller said she believes the Council will direct Gullo to continue his investigation. "I assume that is the plan. It absolutely is, in my mind," she said.
As for Miller, he urged members of the public to pay attention to city council meetings and become involved in the process. On the Facebook group "The Taneytown Community Group," Miller urged those who agree with him to run for office in 2025. His remarks echoed ones he made at the meeting. "This matter is not, by any means, over," Miller said.
Read former Taneytown Attorney Jay Gullo’s full letter to the Town Council
Rift between Council & Mayor erupts into open
