Robert G. Cassilly (born July 1958) is an American politician who is currently the county executive of Harford County, Maryland. He previously served in the Maryland State Senate from 2015 to 2022, representing District 34.
Early life and education
Cassilly was born in July 1958, in Havre de Grace, Maryland. He was one of twelve children born to Robert R. Cassilly Jr. and Nancy Cassilly.
Cassilly graduated from Bel Air High School in 1976, and later attended Johns Hopkins University, where he was a member of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps and earned a B.A. degree in international relations in 1980. Cassilly later attended the University of Baltimore School of Law, where he earned a J.D. degree cum laude in 1988. While attending the University of Baltimore, he served as a law clerk to Circuit Court Judge Dana M. Levitz and Court of Special Appeals Judge John J. Bishop Jr.
Career
From 1976 to 1978, Cassilly served in the Maryland National Guard. He later served in the 7th Infantry Division of the United States Army from 1980 to 1985. In February 2006, Cassilly was activated by the United States Army and deployed in Iraq, where he served as a senior governance advisor in the Karbala Governorate and as a strategic planner for the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad until 2010. After returning to the United States, Cassilly worked for three years in the United States Department of State, supporting U.S. efforts to counter violent extremists in the Near East region.
Cassilly first got involved in politics in 1992, when he became a member of the Harford County Republican Central Committee. He served in this position until 1997, when he was elected to the Bel Air, Maryland town commission. Cassilly served as the commission's president from 2000 to 2001, and resigned in 2002 after he was elected to the Harford County Council, representing District C in southeastern parts of the county. Cassilly declined to resign from the County Council after being mobilized in February 2006, expressing concern that his resignation "might result in a significant shift of the current balance of interests on the Council in a manner that would not be favorable to the citizens". However, because he did not file to run for re-election before his deployment, he was barred from running for re-election under Department of Defense Directive 1344.10.
In September 2013, Cassilly started his own law firm.
Maryland Senate
Elections
2014
In September 2013, Cassilly filed to run for Maryland Senate in District 34, seeking to succeed retiring state senator Nancy Jacobs. He ran unopposed in the Republican primary election and defeated Democratic state delegate Mary-Dulany James in the general election. At the same time, his younger brother Andrew Cassilly was elected as state delegate in District 35B and his other brother was re-elected as state's attorney.
2018
Cassilly filed to run for re-election in January 2018. He defeated former state delegate Mary-Dulany James in a tight general election on November 6, 2018, receiving 50.1 percent of the vote to James's 49.7 percent, or by a 189 vote margin out of 48,788 votes cast.
Tenure
Cassilly was sworn into the Maryland Senate on January 14, 2015.
Committee assignments
Member, Judicial Proceedings Committee, 2015–2022 (member, work group on COVID-19 & housing, 2020) Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive and Legislative Review, 2015–2022 Joint Committee on Federal Relations, 2015–2022
Harford County Executive
In April 2021, Cassilly opted not to run for re-election to a third term to the Maryland Senate, instead filing to run for Harford County executive. He defeated rival Billy Boniface in the Republican primary on July 19, 2022, and later defeated Democratic nominee Blane Miller III in the general election on November 8. Cassilly was sworn in as county executive on December 5.
County government infighting
Cassilly's first year as county executive was marked by infighting with the Harford County government, including the County Council, which he has described as "political attacks" by unnamed political entities in the county.