From The Committee to Elect Jeff Gahler:

The Committee to Elect Jeff Gahler is proud to announce that Sheriff Jeffrey R. Gahler has received the endorsement of the Harford County Deputy Sheriff’s Union in this year’s election. The Deputy Sheriff’s Union, whose membership of over 300 active and retired law enforcement deputies, overwhelmingly voted to endorse Sheriff Gahler for a second term. The endorsement was announced by the Union’s President, Mike Montalvo, on Thursday.

Sheriff Gahler spoke about the endorsement this week and touted the open and productive working relationship between the Office of the Sheriff and the Deputy Sheriff’s Union. Sheriff Gahler highlighted the recent collective bargaining legislation and the restoration of a fair and equitable salary plan for the men and women on the street keeping our community safe. Nearly 10 years of neglect prior to Sheriff Gahler taking office resulted in a compression of pay scale and salaries that had also become no longer competitive with surrounding agencies. These issues resulted in recruiting challenges and the loss of tenured employees.

Sheriff Gahler initiated a salary study in his first year in Office that resulted in the framework used to correct the salary issues paralyzing progress. Working with County Executive Glassman and the employee groups, all employees of the Sheriff’s Office have seen significant relief in each of the last four budget years, inclusive of what has been included in this year’s budget submission from the County Executive. Notably, Sheriff Gahler’s support of employees rights to be a formal part of the negotiations related to their salaries and benefits, now ensures the employees and their representatives have a voice in maintaining the positive steps taken during Sheriff Gahler’s first term.

Although Sheriff Gahler indicated the salary issues and collective bargaining were at the forefront of the valuable working relationship, the Deputy Sheriff’s Union has also been instrumental in issues of policy, planning and public safety as a whole.

Jeff Gahler is a 40 year resident of Harford County and resides in the Forest Hill Community with his wife, Sonya, and their two daughters, Shelby and Sydney. He is a North Harford High School and Harford Community College graduate and obtained both his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Management from Johns Hopkins University. Sheriff Gahler is a past member of the adjunct faculty within the Public Safety Leadership Program at the Johns Hopkins University and is a former operating partner with the Advanced Leadership Consortium, a company committed to providing quality training and consulting services to public safety organizations and private businesses. Prior to being elected as Harford County’s Sheriff in 2014, Jeff Gahler had served 28 years as a sworn member of the Maryland State Police, retiring as a command member in 2012.