Key member of Wicomico County Executive Giordano's staff reinstated with court ruling

A summary judgment from Wicomico County Circuit Court handed down Thursday reinstated a key member of the county executive's staff.

County Executive Julie Giordano announced the court agreed that Matthew Leitzel was legally appointed following the guidelines of the Wicomico County Charter and he will return to his position as Assistant Director of Administration.

In a statement following the ruling, Giordano noted Leitzel’s appointment was handled "correctly and he will return to his position without any interruption of his salary." Legislative Bill No. 2023-11, which the County Council passed for the elimination of the budgetary line allocation for the position of Assistance Director of Administration has been "stricken and severed" in regard to Leitzel.

"The (initial process) of selecting Mr. Leitzel was very much guided by the county attorney," Giordano said. "He told us, since the 45 days the County Council had to respond had elapsed, that the appointment stands. I think the judge saw I followed everything the county attorney said to do. It was constituted as a submission."

Giordano doubled down on the basis for the request of the judgment, citing it was far from a unilateral decision by the county executive.

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County Council to meet on what's next

County Council President John Cannon called the ruling disappointing and noted it will be discussed in closed session on Tuesday, Dec. 19, during the normal legislative meeting.

"We're going to be meeting with legal counsel on Tuesday to review the judge's opinion and the circumstances behind it," Cannon said. "We can then make a decision about where to go from there. It's as clear as any other court case where you can either accept it or appeal the ruling. Personally, I'm disappointed with the decision that was returned, and I don't think the judge clearly explained how he arrived at his final conclusion."

Cannon also noted that the ruling simply reiterated the reasoning from the first time the matter was ruled upon.

"The County Council certainly won't take any rash measures at this time to decide what comes next," Cannon said.

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What was behind lawsuit filed by County Executive Giordano?

The lawsuit from Giordano, filed in Wicomico County Circuit Court in August, stemmed from the failed appointments of Heather Lankford as acting director of Public Works and Leitzel as Assistant Director of Administration. The lawsuit requested the County Council approve a special counsel as well as the funds to pay for it to address the disagreement on the county charter.

The filing also requests to expedite the proceeding.

Since then, Lankford has stepped down from the position of Acting Director of Public Works and taken another post in the county.

Prior to the filing, Giordano sent a letter to council members Monday, July 31, trying to find a resolution that did not involve litigation.

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This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Wicomico Executive Giordano gets key employee back with court win