A Maryland state flag flies outside the State House in Annapolis. Photo by Danielle E. Gaines.
Del. Gary Simmons (D-Anne Arundel) wrote a letter to state and local Democratic leaders earlier this month on his official legislative stationery, seeking retribution against a member of the Anne Arundel County Democratic Central Committee from his district.
He later retracted the letter, resent it 10 days later on personal stationery, and subsequently retracted that missive as well.
But the letters were sent to dozens of Democratic activists, and can’t be unseen — a fact the lawmaker readily acknowledges. And Simmons’ decision to initially send the message on his legislative letterhead appears to run afoul of the General Assembly’s admonition against using official stationery for political matters.
“That’s what we call a rookie mistake,” Simmons, a first-term lawmaker, said in an interview Thursday.
Simmons’ pique toward the central committee member, Geonta Simmons — who is not related — appears to be part of the ongoing political fallout over the close and contentious central committee decision earlier this month to recommend then-Del. Shaneka Henson (D) to fill a vacancy in the state Senate. Henson prevailed over her fellow delegate, Dana Jones (D), by one vote, and was subsequently appointed to the Senate by Gov. Wes Moore (D).
In both versions of his letter, obtained this week by Maryland Matters, the lawmaker says he is writing regretfully to “express a vote of no confidence in Geonta Simmons,” accusing the central committee member of a “significant breach of trust” and “malfeasance” for openly discussing what occurred at a private meeting of four political leaders in December about the District 30 Senate vacancy that Henson wound up filling.
The letter — which was addressed to every member of the Anne Arundel County Democratic Central Committee, the chair and vice chair of the Maryland Democratic Party, and five state lawmakers who represent Anne Arundel — said Geonta Simmons “shared highly confidential information without authorization.” It goes on to suggest that doing so “constitutes misfeasance,” and cites provisions in the Democratic State Central Committee of Maryland bylaws involving “the performance of an official duty in an improper manner.”
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The letter goes on to urge the central committee to take action against Geonta Simmons.
“Such an act not only violated trust but also posed a potential risk of harm to other leaders across the Democratic Party,” the delegate wrote. “As stewards of the public trust, it is incumbent upon all members of this committee to uphold the highest standards of confidentiality, particularly when managing information that could have far-reaching consequences if mishandled.”
But the meeting of the four party leaders — both Simmonses, state Sen. Clarence K. Lam (D-Howard and Anne Arundel) and Jacqueline Allsup, the other central committee member from District 12B — was not an official proceeding, and there was no decision to go into executive session, when sharing details of what was said is generally frowned upon. Instead, the meeting, according to two participants and other Democrats familiar with the details, was an informal chat at 9Five Kitchen & Bar in North Linthicum to discuss strategy ahead of the central committee’s early January vote on the District 30 vacancy.
Allsup wound up supporting Henson in that vote, while Geonta Simmons backed Jones.
In an interview, Geonta Simmons freely admitted discussing details of the meeting with other Democratic activists, and said doing so was well within the bounds of typical swapping of political intelligence. He added that no one had pledged to keep the meeting a secret and said he was puzzled and dismayed by Delegate Simmons’ letter seeking retribution.
“Maryland is currently facing a $3 billion budget deficit, which could lead to cuts to essential programs that serve our most vulnerable families,” Geonta Simmons said. “Yet Delegate Gary Simmons, who represents District 12B, one of the most economically disadvantaged areas of Anne Arundel County, seems more focused on removing me from the Democratic Central Committee than advocating for his district. Even more concerning is his unethical use of his position as a delegate to intimidate and bully a young person out of their committee role.”
“Politics,” he added, “should be about serving the people, not inflating fragile egos.”
Gary Simmons told Maryland Matters he wrote the letter to Democratic leaders in a quest for party unity.
“As a state, as a party, we have to be accountable for our actions,” he said. “As elected officials, there’s got to be a level of trust.”
But using his official letterhead to make a political point may have violated legislative ethics rules. The legislature’s ethics guidance says, in part, “The official stationery of a delegate or senator is provided at taxpayer expense and is intended for use in official General Assembly business and for customary constituent services. Other correspondence, particularly if it relates to a political campaign, must be sent on stationery that is not printed at the General Assembly’s expense.”
In an interview Thursday, Deadra Daly, the General Assembly’s ethics counsel, did not directly address the Simmons letter, and said the legislature has not offered specific guidance about communications with a political central committee. But she added that using official letterhead to communicate with other leaders about a central committee matter “seems to fall in the political category,” and said such a communication “would certainly concern me.”
But if there are any potential consequences for Delegate Simmons, a lawmaker’s decision to recall such a letter and admit their error may mitigate the risk, Daly said. “The [ethics] committee — they value self-reporting or someone’s efforts to correct themselves,” she said.
Delegate Simmons, who was first elected to his seat in 2022, chalked up his mistake to being a political novice.
“I continue to rely on membership and leadership to guide me as I continue to learn about serving in the House,” he said.
Given the fact that the lawmaker has withdrawn both versions of his letter about Geonta Simmons, Anne Arundel County Democratic Central Committee Chair Sarah McDermott told Maryland Matters this week that the “committee considers this a closed matter.”
Delegate Simmons agreed.
“The matter is closed, but we will continue to work on building a stronger party,” he said.
Meanwhile, the central committee is scheduled to meet Saturday morning in Annapolis to recommend a replacement to fill Henson’s vacant House seat. Five Democrats have applied: Abigail Diehl, an Annapolis businesswoman who unsuccessfully sought the Democratic congressional nomination in District 3 last year; Lindsay Donahue, a health care information technology professional who also sought the congressional seat last year; Chrissy Holt, a progressive activist who ran unsuccessfully for state Senate in 2018; Annapolis Alderman Brooks Schandelmeier; and Dylan Behler, a former central committee chair who works for the Department of Natural Resources. Behler was also chief of staff to then-state Sen. Sarah K. Elfreth (D), who election last year to Congress created the vacancy Henson filled.
In a brief interview Thursday, Henson said she was not “publicly” backing any of the contenders.