Washington County School Board Vice President Michael “Mike” Guessford wants Washington County to know that an Islamic mosque offering free tours and refreshments deserves an organized protest.
This statement would be alarming coming from any school board official.
But coming from Mike Guessford — someone with a ten-year documented history of serious ethics violations, defiance of restitution orders, bullying colleagues, and attempting to circumvent Maryland’s Open Meetings Act — it’s something else entirely.
It’s a distinct pattern – one that should warrant his removal from public office.
Mike Guessford, School Board Vice President, Wants to Protest Peaceful Muslim Community Gathering
On October 9th, 2025, Washington County School Board Vice President Mike Guessford posted to Facebook, “We need to protest,” in response to a Herald-Mail Media article about an interfaith open house at a local mosque.
(The image of Mr. Guessford’s post is below; you’ll see Guessford’s comment posted below the Herald-Mail Media article.)
The Islamic Society of Western Maryland had announced a community event featuring mosque tours, complimentary refreshments, a partnership with local churches through the Hagerstown Area Religious Council, and interfaith dialogue emphasizing “the commonalities our religions have.”
You understand correctly: A Maryland school board vice president saw Muslims graciously inviting their neighbors to learn about their faith – and his first thought was, “We need to protest.”
Don’t try to make sense of Mike Guessford’s comments; there’s nothing to make sense of.
His comments are anti-Muslim bigotry.
Mike Guessford’s Past Ethics Violations as an Elected Washington County School Board Member
Let’s head back to September 2016, when the Washington County Board of Education voted 4-1 to ratify an ethics advisory panel finding that Michael Guessford had committed “multiple ethical violations.”
Mr. Guessford’s professional and business ethics have been under public scrutiny for years; it’s Washington County’s best-kept open secret that Mike Guessford, both in public life and as a former business owner, is known to cut ethical corners.
Around the time he was first elected to the Board of Education, Mr. Guessford failed to disclose that Washington County Public Schools had paid his former Hagerstown business, Applause Caterers, over $1,700.
Worse, Mike Guessford did not recuse himself from Board votes on contracts “that directly benefited himself and his business partner.”
This isn’t a technicality; this is an elected school board member voting on contracts that put money in his own pocket while keeping that financial interest secret from the public.
A Miner Detail requested an ethics investigation.
A five-member ethics panel found Mr. Guessford guilty of violating the school system’s ethics policy.
And where was Mike Guessford during the public meeting when the ethics panel officially confirmed his violations?
Ocean City, Md.
Guessford skipped town – because he was unable to face his colleagues. His Facebook check-ins that day showed him at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and later at a restaurant on Maryland’s Eastern Shore — apparently posting from the beach.
No apology to Washington County taxpayers for stealing from them — no accountability whatsoever.
While Mr. Guessford was beachcombing, his Board of Education colleagues formally censured him for public corruption and illegally profiting from Washington County taxpayers.
The Money Mike Guessford Refused To Pay Back to Washington County Taxpayers (in 2017)
In September 2016, an ethics panel ordered Mike Guessford to repay the $1,756 his business had improperly received from Washington County Public Schools, giving him sixty days to establish a repayment plan.
But Mike Guessford ignored the deadline to repay the money he owed.
Nearly a year later, in May 2017, Guessford still hadn’t paid what he owed Washington County taxpayers.
When questioned by the Herald-Mail, Mr. Guessford said he’d pay it “when he gets it together”— as if a prominent business owner couldn’t scrape together less than two thousand dollars for a debt he legally owed to the school system he governed.
This wasn’t about the money; it was almost a trivial amount of money for someone who apparently owned or managed a couple of Washington County businesses.
It was about power — specifically, about demonstrating that the Board’s ethics rulings mean nothing to Mike Guessford. He could violate ethics rules, be found guilty, and refuse to comply with the consequences.
Mike Guessford Berated Board Colleague in Private While Preaching Civility In Public
Through a Maryland Public Information Act request filed by A Miner Detail at the time, emails surfaced showing that Guessford had “berated,” “trash-talked, and bullied a former Washington County School Board member.
The timing is exquisite: This happened just two weeks after Guessford stood before the public, blamed his colleagues for “perpetuating ongoing dysfunction,” and called for “civility and resolve.”
Read that again.
Mike Guessford unironically and publicly demanded civility from his fellow Board colleagues while privately bullying a former colleague.
This is an established pattern with Mike Guessford.
Over the last decade, Mike Guessford has carefully crafted a public narrative for Washington County voters: the concerned (now former) business owner, invested in his community; the so-called fiscal conservative worried about budgets (his own businesses failed); and the reformer calling for ethics, when he, himself, wantonly violates ethics policy.
The Time Mike Guessford Tried To Violate Maryland’s Open Meetings Act
The email wasn’t a proposal for discussion.
It was a directive: “I’m encouraging you to drop any DEI programming starting as of Monday morning.”
Let’s be clear about what Mike Guessford actually did: He attempted to make school policy via email, bypassing the legally required public meeting process.
When Mr. Guessford’s board colleague, Victoria Beachley, supported removing DEI positions, they created exactly what Maryland’s Open Meetings Act prohibits — a serial communication where board members debate and decide policy matters outside of public view.
This wasn’t just bad judgment; it was a potential violation of the state law that requires officials to conduct the public’s business in public.
And it revealed something crucial: Mike Guessford doesn’t think collaborative, transparent governance processes apply to him. He acts like a CEO issuing orders, not an elected official who must work within legal constraints.
Incidentally, Mr. Guessford’s local political allies — the Washington County Republican Party that endorsed him and the activists who support book bans — may, in fact, love Mr. Guessford’s aggressive unilateral style.
But it’s illegal when applied to public governance.
Connecting the Dots on Mike Guessford’s Board Tenure: This Was Always About Power And Prejudice
- 2016: Violates ethics rules by secretly profiting from school contracts.
- 2016: Skips his own censure meeting to go to the beach.
- 2016-2017: Refused for over a year to repay the money he owed Washington County taxpayers.
- 2016: Attempted to retaliate against A Miner Detail, which exposed him. (He failed).
- 2016: Bullied a Board of Education colleague while preaching civility publicly.
- 2025: Tried to eliminate DEI programs via an apparent illegal email directive.
- 2025: Called for protests against the Muslim community’s interfaith open house – for no reason at all.
To summarize: Mike Guessford:
- Believes rules don’t apply to him.
- Retaliates against anyone who challenges him.
- Says one thing publicly while doing another privately.
- Views collaborative governance as an obstacle to overcome.
- Uses his elected Board of Education position to advance personal grievances and political agendas.
- And now, apparently, believes religious minorities deserve organized opposition.
Mr. Guessford’s anti-Muslim Facebook comment is not a departure from his sterling “character.”
These comments are perfectly on-brand for a school board member who has spent a decade demonstrating contempt for accountability, transparency, and inclusive governance.
Where Is The Maryland State Ethics Commission on Mike Guessford?
Here’s what Marylanders should want to know: Why is Michael Guessford still in public office?
- He was found guilty of ethics violations in 2016.
- He defied a restitution order for over a year.
- He’s likely created legal liability for the Washington County Board of Education through potential Maryland Open Meetings Act violations.
- And now he’s apparently using the prestige of his office — again — to organize opposition against a religious minority.
The Maryland State Ethics Commission has jurisdiction here.
Maryland law explicitly prohibits public officials from intentionally using the prestige of office or public position for their private gain or that of another, or to influence, except as part of official duties or customary constituent services.
- Mike Guessford’s call for protests against a local mosque’s interfaith dialogue is not an official duty of the Washington County Board of Education.
- It’s not a constituent service.
- It’s an elected Maryland school board vice president leveraging his position to marginalize a religious community that includes families whose children attend Washington County Public Schools.
Bottom line: Mr. Guessford’s latest anti-Muslim comments appear to violate the same prestige-of-office statute he was found guilty of violating a few years ago.
To The Western Maryland Muslim Community: Mike Guessford Does Not Represent Washington County’s Values
To the families of the Islamic Society of Western Maryland: You deserve to understand exactly who is calling for protests against your community.
- Washington County School Board Vice President Michael Guessford is a formally adjudicated ethics violator who believes rules are for other people.
- He is someone who skipped his own Board censure (to go to the beach).
- He is someone who bullies fellow Board colleagues and retaliates against his critics.
- He’s an elected public official who tries to make policy via email to avoid public scrutiny.
Mike Guessford’s opposition to your open house isn’t principled.
It’s prejudiced.
And it’s entirely consistent with a decade of behavior showing contempt for anyone he views as different, dissenting, or challenging his authority.
Your mosque serves almost 500 members from Western Maryland and surrounding areas, with celebrations drawing close to 1,000 people.
These are your neighbors.
Your children attend Washington County Public Schools.
You pay the taxes that fund the very school system that Mike Guessford has used for his personal enrichment.
You have every legal right to host an interfaith open house without a school board official calling for protests.
And you have every right to demand Mike Guessford’s removal from public office.
What Happens Now to Mike Guessford?
Suppose the Washington County Board of Education fails to take action against Mike Guessford.
Given the Board’s current political dynamics, it’s unlikely they will — unless, of course, there’s a public outcry demanding action against Guessford.
Here’s what could be happening immediately if it’s not already happening:
1. Formal Ethics Investigation: The Washington County Board of Education could initiate an immediate investigation under its ethics policy for misuse of the prestige of office. Mike Guessford is a repeat offender.
2. Removal from Vice Presidency: Even before the investigation concludes, the Board of Education could strip Mr. Guessford of his school board vice presidency. Leadership is a privilege, not a right. Due process is a must.
3. Maryland State Ethics Commission Complaint: The Commission could open a formal investigation for violation of Maryland General Provisions § 5-506.
4. Public Censure: The Board could issue a formal, public censure stating clearly that Mike Guessford’s calls for protests against a religious community clearly violate the principles of inclusive education.
5. Mandatory Training: Required ethics training and cultural competency training, though frankly, if Mike Guessford requires training to know that protesting a mosque is wrong, he shouldn’t be in office.
Let’s be honest: None of the action steps above will occur – unless the public demands it.
What The Public Can Do to Take Action Against Mike Guessford?
1. File Ethics Complaints:
- Maryland State Ethics Commission: ethics.public@maryland.gov.
- Washington County Board of Education: publicfeedback@wcps.k12.md.us.
2. Attend the October 18, 2025, Open House: Saturday, October 18, noon-2:30 p.m., at the Islamic Society of Western Maryland, 2036 Day Road, Hagerstown, Md.
3. Speak out against Mike Guessford at upcoming Washington County School Board meetings: Sign up at publicfeedback@wcps.k12.md.us or call (301) 766-2971.
4. Contact Civil Rights Organizations:
5. Share This Story: Every voter in Washington County needs to know who they elected.
6. Organize For The Next Election: Mike Guessford is up for re-election to the Washington County School Board in 2026. Washington County voters can begin organizing now against Guessford, should he seek a fourth term.
The Bottom Line on Mike Guessford
Michael Guessford has spent nearly a decade showing Washington County exactly who he is:
- A school board member who violates ethics rules and defies consequences.
- A public official who bullies his colleagues while preaching performative civility.
- An insecure, small person who retaliates against his critics.
- A rogue school board member who apparently attempts to implement Board policy through illegal email directives.
- And now, Mike Guessford is calling for protests against the Western Maryland Muslim community – because they’re opening their doors and inviting the community to join them for fellowship.
The question isn’t whether Michael Guessford is fit to serve on a school board; that question was answered definitively in 2016 when he was found guilty of ethics violations and responded by going to the beach.
The question is: Why is Washington County still electing this guy?
Washington County students — Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, atheist, and everything in between — deserve school board leadership that does not repeatedly commit ethics violations.
Voters deserve elected public officials who view religious diversity as a strength, not something to protest.
Washington County deserves better than Mike Guessford.
It’s long past time to give it to them.
The views expressed in this op-ed are those of the author.
This op-ed draws from several sources: a documented Facebook comment by Michael Guessford from October 9, 2025; the Ethics Advisory Panel’s “Opinion and Order 01-2016,” which found multiple ethics violations; public board meeting minutes from 2016; Herald-Mail Media reporting from May 2017; emails obtained through Maryland Public Information Act requests; and documented attempts to circumvent Maryland’s Open Meetings Act.
The Islamic Society of Western Maryland’s open house is Saturday, October 18, from noon to 2:30 p.m. at 2036 Day Road, Hagerstown. All community members are welcome.
