Conflict Exposed, Contract Terminated

Commissioners End Relationship With Lobbyist

On May 13, the St. Mary’s County Commissioners voted 4-1 to “terminate the contract as discussed in closed session.” Commissioner Mike Hewitt (R-D2) made the motion; Commissioners Randy Guy (R-At Large), Scott Ostrow (R-D4), and Mike Alderson (R-D3) joined him in support. Commissioner Eric Colvin was the lone dissenting vote.

The following week during his end-of-meeting remarks, Commissioner Hewitt mentioned the terminated contract in question was to employ lobbyist Bruce Bereano. “I believe there was a conflict of interest we didn’t know about, and we had things blow up in our face,” Hewitt said cryptically. He didn’t elaborate. 

Back in November 2023, the Commissioners were briefed by John Houser, Deputy County Attorney, on hiring Bereano as a government relations consultant, or lobbyist. Other counties, including Calvert and Charles, had engaged Bereano’s services in the past. The one year contract provided a fee of $15,000, plus up to $500 in other necessary expenses. Hewitt said he’d personally spoken to Delegates Matt Morgan and Brian Crosby, who opposed hiring Bereano, and to Delegate Todd Morgan who was supportive. Houser had spoken with Senator Jack Bailey, who he said “enjoys a good working relationship with Mr. Bereano.” 

That relationship had already produced results in the form of $500,000 for a handicap-accessible vessel for St. Clements Hundred, a non-profit responsible for the upkeep of Blackistone Lighthouse and St. Clements Island. Senator Jack Bailey, in 2023, filed a bond request for $700,000 to support the project. Deputy Attorney Houser, who volunteers with St. Clements Hundred, told the Commissioners Bereano helped secure the funding.

Bereano came with a reputation for delivering results. He also came with baggage. I reported on his history in November 2023, the day before the Commissioners meeting. In the 1990s, Bereano was convicted of federal mail fraud and disbarred from practicing law in Maryland, D.C., and federal court. The scheme, as described by WTOP, involved reimbursing employees for campaign donations made in their own names and funneling cash through family members to his political action committee.

Hewitt brought up this history at the November 2023 meeting. Commissioner Colvin supported hiring Bereano, believing it was “another tool in the toolbox, somebody who is an insider to testify on the county’s behalf.” Commissioner Ostrow echoed the sentiment, noting the additional support for Commissioner priorities if they diverge from the Delegation’s. 

But Hewitt asked further questions. Who had met with Bereano? And at whose direction? Deputy Attorney Houser said he’d met with Bereano on October 17, 2023 to discuss terms, but was unsure who made the first move to contact. Commissioner Colvin cut in: “I did.” 

Commissioner Hewitt discussed delaying the decision, but Colvin moved for a vote. Commissioners Guy and Ostrow joined Covin in voting yes; Hewitt and Alderson voted no. Watch full discussion.

Fast forward to April 30, 2024. Bereano met with the Commissioners to review his lobbying work during the 2024 legislative session. In that meeting, he introduced the Pascal Crisis Stabilization Center project, which had just received $500,000 in state funding thanks to a bond request from Senator Jack Bailey (R-St. Mary’s Co.). “I do represent that Center, there in Crownsville,” Bereano said. He mentioned knowing Katherine Bonincontri, and her husband Phillip, who run the center, and said “we intend to build a facility here in St. Mary’s County.

Bereano worked with the Chair of the Senate’s Budget and Taxation Committee, Senator Guy Guzzone (D-Howard Co.) to secure funding. Senator Bailey also sits on the committee. Guzzone is familiar with Pascal’s “great work,” Bereano said, and was supportive of replicating those services in St. Mary’s. Bereano and the Bonincontri’s previously met with Commissioner Colvin, reached out to Medstar and local colleges, and had plans to connect with other stakeholders.  

Colvin was enthusiastic: “This is a huge deal for St. Mary’s County”  and would save money for the hospital, sheriff’s office, and others providing stop-gap services for mental health. “It’s my understanding this will be in the northern part of St. Mary’s County, but will serve all of Southern Maryland” Colvin explained. Commissioner President Guy mentioned he had spoken with Senator Bailey about the project, noting a need for mental health services. Watch full discussion.

What Bereano didn’t disclose–then or later–was that he also served as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the nonprofit overseeing the Pascal Center.

The Pascal Center’s introduction to the community, one year later on April 29, 2025, wasn’t well received. Charlotte Hall residents filled the local library’s meeting room for a hastily announced meeting to hear the Bonincontris present their plan for the new mental health facility and answer the community’s questions. Frustrated residents wanted to know how a large medical facility could be built in a residential neighborhood off Mount Wolf Road. Others were concerned about adding traffic on a narrow, curving road. Some voiced fears over physical and property safety living near a mental health treatment center. 

Letter sent to residents by JNM Engineering LLC.

The Bonincontris attempted to assuage the worried residents by pointing to their center in Anne Arundel County, located next door to residential homes. At their proposed facility in Charlotte Hall, they explained, patients would stay for up to 10 days receiving stabilization care. Then, the person would pursue long-term care needs elsewhere or return home. All patients are transported by the Pascal Center, said Katherine Bonincontri, so there is little chance of someone wandering outside of the facility. The couple shared their intention to build their home on the back portion of the 40+ acre property.

But the Bonincontris quickly lost control of the meeting as residents weren’t inclined to believe their story. The short notice about a project of this size, and so many unanswered questions didn’t sit well. Determined and intending to make their opposition heard, the community looked toward a May 6th public forum hosted by the County Commissioners. 

Nearly 40 people spoke on the subject of the crisis center at the forum. Some highlighted the county’s urgent need for mental health services. Many others  focused on the safety issues and questioned the location. A few speakers brave enough to share their personal stories, cautioned neighbors from using demeaning language to describe someone in crisis. Commissioner President Randy Guy said they would “follow this very closely.” It seemed, however, that residents were dissatisfied with the Commissioner’s lack of action. 

Afterward, the Pascal Center’s application was withdrawn from the county’s Land Use department. It was scheduled before the Board of Appeals on May 22nd for a conditional use approval, necessary to allow the residential facility use on the property. I explained more on that in this video. https://youtu.be/WYQix8u3qIo

Less than two weeks later, the Commissioners terminated Bruce Bereano. On May 20th, when Commissioner Hewitt mentioned an issue that “blew up in our face,” he was referring to the Pascal Crisis Center. What the Commissioners said they didn’t know was that Bereano’s ties to the Pascal Center were deeper than lobbying representation. According to IRS filings, he’d served as Chairman of the non-profit board since at least 2022. The filings also list Phillip Bonincontri as COO through his company, Semper Fidelis Solutions LLC, and Katherine Bonincontri as Executive Director. 

Bereano was employed by the Commissioners for the 2024 and 2025 legislative sessions. Lobbyists in Maryland are required by law to file reports stating who hires and pays them, and why. In 2024, public records show Bereano was registered to represent both the Commissioners and the Pascal Crisis Center. There’s no indication the Commissioners were informed of this dual role. 

A review of campaign finance reports provides deeper insight to the relationship between Bereano, the Bonincontris, and Senator Jack Bailey. Katherine and Phillip Bonincontri gave $1,500 and $1,000, respectively, to Bailey’s campaign, in 2024. 

Between August 2018 and January 2025, Bereano donated $5,250 to Bailey’s campaign. In the same time frame, Bailey paid $3,960 to Bereano’s office for sponsorships or tickets to the J. Millard Tawes Crab & Clam Bake fundraiser. Bereano hosts a large VIP-style tent there each year. Thrown by the Crisfield Chamber of Commerce so politicians can interact with voters, “Bereano’s tent has over the past several years become the focal point of the crab feast.”

Bereano’s influence is far reaching in Annapolis. Former Governor Larry Hogan is a close friend. Hogan appointed Bereano’s son, Byron, as a judge in Prince George’s County District Court and elevated him to the county’s Circuit Court in 2019. Bereano donated $2,000 to Hogan’s daughter, Jaymi Sterling, when she ran for State’s Attorney in 2022.

Bereano, center left, and former Governor Larry Hogan

On May 20, Commissioner Colvin publicly criticized the termination, calling it “disappointing and short-sighted.” He believed Bereano deserved the chance to defend himself. But the damage had already been done.

In their bid to bring a heavy-hitting lobbyist into the fold, the Commissioners unwittingly invited a storm of controversy—one that left residents disillusioned, a community divided, and a major mental health project in limbo. 

Southern Maryland News published an article with reactions from several Commissioners, as well as Delegate Todd Morgan.