Washington County Personnel Records Leaked in Effort to Damage County Commissioner Candidate

A recent inquiry into leaked personnel records from Washington County Government has raised significant questions regarding privacy violations and potential misconduct within the local government. The investigation, initiated by a resident’s release of sensitive documents appearing on social media, has brought to light a complex series of events involving allegations against Treasurer Matt Breeding, who is now running for County Commissioner, and the county’s handling of public records requests. This marks the second time in less than four years that protected records have been exposed from Washington County Government, although this appears to be the result of an administrative data breach to unauthorized third parties and not a technical data breach like witnessed in the 2022 ransomware incident.

The timeline of events began on March 7, 2026, when a local resident not employed by Washington County Government brought a leaked document he had received anonymously to the attention of RFHC, a document the resident then later published to social media unredacted. This document, on County Commissioner letterhead dated October 27, 2025 and missing a signature page, advocated for changing the County Treasurer position from elected to appointed, and contained serious allegations against Treasurer Matt Breeding, who had filed for County Commissioner on February 24, 2026. Further investigation revealed that the complete version of this letter had been sent to Delegate Wivell, signed by all five County Commissioners including John Barr, Jeffrey Cline, Randall Wagner, Randal Leatherman, and now former County Commissioner Derek Harvey. Copied on the letter was the County Delegation Members, County Attorney Zach Kieffer and County Administrator Michelle Gordon. RFHC was also provided a copy of an advisory ethics opinion requested by County Administrator Michelle Gordon regarding Breeding’s potential hiring of John McElroy in the Treasurer’s office.

In response to these documents being publicly posted on social media, RFHC submitted multiple requests for public records on March 7, 2026. These requests aimed to obtain the full letter, supporting evidence for or against the allegations made, and records pertaining to the advisory ethics opinion, which had also been circulated on social media. We also reached out to Treasurer Breeding for his perspective on the documents.

Between March 8 and April 24, 2026, Treasurer Breeding provided RFHC with numerous documents and personal records that refuted the claims made in the letter to Delegate Wivell and offered his rebuttal regarding the ethics advisory opinion.

Washington County Government provided through MPIA an updated advisory opinion on April 17, 2026, regarding the potential hiring of McElroy. However, the remainder of the request, including details about who had received access to this opinion, was not fulfilled. The county cited that the provided record was the only responsive and legally releasable document in their possession. Interestingly, the ethics opinion we were provided was dated March 24, 2026, which was created after our MPIA request on March 7, 2026. The original advisory opinion, dated January 6, 2026 and requested by County Administrator Michelle Gordon, was not included in the response but is believed to be an accurate copy of the opinion according to Breeding, for which he submitted his rebuttal.

Subsequently, there are no records that McElroy was hired by Washington County Government.

On April 24, 2026, 48 days after opening our request and 18 days beyond the Maryland statutory response requirement, Washington County Government released a redacted version of the letter to Delegate Wivell, stating that the redactions were necessary because the information constituted personnel records. The county clarified that the unredacted version was shared with Delegate Wivell because he is an “elected or appointed official who supervises the work of the individual.” Later on the same day, Washington County Government denied the request for records that could prove or disprove the remaining allegations, classifying them as personnel records.

The only allegations which Washington County Government did not redact from the letter to Delegate Wivell are allegations related to a failure to file required annual Tax Sale survey reports to the State of Maryland. However, in our subsequent MPIA request for supporting records, the county then classified records related to this failure to file the reports as personnel records, and refused to disclose them.

According to Treasurer Breeding, an extension had been obtained regarding the reports, and the County omitted that information from the letter. “I can confirm that my office received an extension from the Maryland State Department of Assessments & Taxation (MD SDAT) for the annual tax sale survey. Washington County was not the only jurisdiction granted such an extension,” stated Breeding.

Additionally, the letter claims that the County Commissioners conducted a 5-0 vote to include this request as part of their request to the legislative delegation, but RFHC was unable to locate any record of such a vote in publicly available minutes, only a consensus, which is not legally equivalent, making this either a “shadow vote” which failed to comply with Maryland Open Meetings Act, or an incorrect statement in the letter to Delegate Wivell.

RFHC has obtained a copy of the leaked, unredacted letter, but will not be publishing it since it contains what the County has classified as personnel records, and as such would be considered a violation of privacy. However, we can provide a breakdown of allegations within the letter which we have obtained additional records for.

One of the first allegations against Breeding were allegations of inappropriate workplace conduct, including allegations of inappropriate conduct towards a minor. RFHC was provided multiple letters by Treasurer Breeding related to these allegations, including a letter from the father of the minor in question, stating that no inappropriate actions occurred.

The county’s classification of these records as personnel files, coupled with their alleged unredacted leak to a resident without any official capacity with Washington County Government, has raised significant concerns. If these records are indeed personnel matters, the leak suggests that a current or former employee or elected official may have intentionally disseminated sensitive information with the apparent intent to undermine Treasurer Breeding’s candidacy for County Commissioner. Such an act could constitute a violation of privacy, potentially leading to civil penalties, and may also violate Maryland General Provisions Code for willful and knowing misconduct. For county employees, this could be grounds for termination, and for elected officials, it could be considered misconduct in office. It is hoped that the county is conducting a thorough investigation into this breach of personnel records and will take appropriate action against any responsible parties.

Additional requests were filed with all municipalities within the county on March 8, 2026. These requests sought to obtain information from the municipalities regarding complaints to Washington County Government that Treasurer Robert Matt Breeding has misrepresented statements or actions of the BOCC since he took office, as well as any complaints to Washington County Government regarding unauthorized access of secure areas owned by the City of Hagerstown. Municipalities responded to these requests between March 8 and April 10, 2026. While some provided adjacent information, such as letters to the County or delegation supporting moving the County Treasurer position from elected to appointed, none could produce records substantiating the allegations of misrepresentation or unauthorized entry by Treasurer Breeding.

When evaluating the County’s claims that it was allowed to disclose personnel records to Delegate Wivell, the claim that Wivell supervises the Treasurer’s work appears unsupported by available county and state organizational charts. This raises questions about the justification for disclosing personnel records to Delegate Wivell, suggesting it may have been an improper disclosure to an unauthorized party.

While this specific instance might not fall under the “willfully and knowingly” clause of Maryland General Provisions Code due to a potential misunderstanding of supervisory relationships by the county, it highlights a serious procedural issue and lack of understanding of basic government organization on behalf of the County Government. This suggests that the County Attorney’s office is either unaware of the basic separation of powers in Maryland or is attempting to retroactively apply a supervisory status to a legislative official to justify a confidentiality breach. The County Administrator, also copied on the letter, similarly lacks a discernible supervisory relationship with the Treasurer.

Upon reaching out to Treasurer Breeding for comment, he issued the following statement:

This situation is not just about what is happening; it is about why it is happening.

I cannot view this as anything other than a political hit piece designed to interfere with an election through false and misleading allegations. Unfortunately, this appears to reflect a broader pattern in which some individuals in government are willing to resort to low means, including completely false accusations, to protect their positions and influence reelection outcomes.

I am not the only County Commissioner candidate being targeted. As an independently elected official, I have faced ongoing efforts by the Board of County Commissioners to assert control over my office. Rather than respecting the will of the voters, there appears to be a preference for installing someone more easily controlled.

The allegations themselves are demonstrably false. There was no abuse, no assault, and no misconduct. In fact, a prior ethics complaint was fully investigated in 2023, and I was completely exonerated. Additionally, claims regarding procurement violations are equally inaccurate. I followed all proper procedures, worked directly with the Purchasing Department, and maintained full transparency throughout. A former commissioner was shown the relevant email thread and acknowledged that I did not violate any purchasing rules, yet still chose to sign onto the letter and assert that I had.

It is also notable that a newly appointed commissioner signed onto a letter referencing events that occurred before their tenure, relying on hearsay rather than firsthand knowledge. This further underscores the lack of credibility behind these allegations and demonstrates a troubling lack of curiosity as to whether the claims were based on fact or simply being used as a political weapon.

It also appears that a private citizen was used as a useful idiot to advance and amplify these false claims, serving as a conduit for allegations that others were unwilling to make directly.

Regarding the so called “shadow vote,” there is no record that any such vote occurred.

When I brought these concerns forward, several members of the Delegation acknowledged to me that they recognized the situation for what it was, a political hit piece, and did not give it credibility. That acknowledgment is important, but it does not undo the damage caused by the initial claims.

This entire episode reflects politics at its worst. I am perceived as a threat, and there appears to be a deliberate effort to limit access to Maryland Public Information Act requests, requests that could shed light on hiring practices, expose potential favoritism, and ensure policies are applied fairly and consistently.

My own Public Information Act request has faced repeated and shifting delays, raising further concerns about transparency. What should have been disclosed promptly has instead been unnecessarily prolonged.

Quite frankly, this has been a difficult and troubling experience, and it highlights a serious lack of ethical leadership. It reinforces exactly why I am running, to ensure accountability, transparency, and integrity in government.

Every voter should be asking the same question: what are they so afraid of?

Statement from Matt Breeding, current Treasurer of Washington County, Maryland, and County Commissioner Candidate

Overall, this leak of what the County has classified as personnel records suggests that Treasurer Breeding’s privacy may have been compromised in an effort to negatively impact his candidacy for Washington County Commissioner. The circumstances suggest that a current or former employee or elected official of Washington County Government is now weaponizing county records to attack those who they disagree with politically. Beyond the potential civil and criminal penalties, the county could see additional long-term ramifications such as higher cyber insurance or liability insurance rates, or loss of confidence in county employees that their personal data is safe, potentially resulting in higher costs to taxpayers or more frequent employee turnover at the County.

Any remaining allegations that could be substantiated remain unconfirmed due to the county’s denial of access to relevant records.

Washington County Government declined to comment on this matter.

While ‘approved’ outlets rely on curated leaks and back-channel screenshots, Radio Free Hub City remains committed to the hard work of the public audit. We don’t need ‘inside sources’ to tell us what the County is hiding—we use their own official responses, their own redactions, and their own missing records to show you exactly how the ‘official story’ is constructed. Radio Free Hub City has filed a formal request for mediation with the Maryland Public Information Act Ombudsman. We are challenging the County’s use of ‘personnel record’ exemptions to withhold some of these records, and we are seeking a determination on the legality of the County’s selective disclosure of these records.

Associated documents for this story are available in our Public Information Archive.

Article by Ken Buckler, based upon information from Washington County Government.

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