About a month and a half ago, the Women’s Republican Club of Washington County celebrated its new office at 138 West Washington Street. The ribbon-cutting photograph shows Michael T. Fitzgerald alongside Commissioners Jeff Cline, Randal Leatherman, and Neil Parrott, as well as commissioner candidate Dan Young, former state delegate Brenda Thiam, delegate William Wivell, state senator Paul Corderman, and Beth Harvey, chairperson of the Washington County Republican Central Committee. According to multiple registered Republicans in Washington County who reached out to us, Fitzgerald is reportedly providing the space in the Wareham Building to the Women’s Republican Club of Washington County for free.
The ribbon-cutting and celebration came just three months after the building’s tax lien went to auction at Washington County’s June 2, 2026 tax sale results listed $24,020.30 in overdue taxes and charges against the property. By October 1, county records obtained through a Maryland Public Information Act request listed $33,240.91 delinquent at that address and $202,725.55 across 27 accounts associated with Fitzgerald and related entities.
A tax sale is the county’s way of collecting property taxes and other eligible charges that have gone unpaid. Under Washington County’s process, the county auctions a lien, a legal claim against the property for the debt. The winning bidder pays the overdue amount to the county and receives a tax sale certificate. The owner keeps the building but must pay the required redemption amount, including interest and applicable costs, to clear the lien. An unresolved lien can eventually lead to court proceedings through which the certificate holder acquires the property.
The purchaser’s payment allows the county to collect the amount covered by the sale, while the owner remains responsible for resolving the claim against the property. By the time Republican leaders gathered for their ribbon cutting, the building’s unpaid obligations had already escalated to that formal collection process.
Since 2020, he and his company Gideon Properties have contributed about $15,000, mostly to Republican candidates, officeholders, and political committees. That includes $6,100 to bankroll state Senator Paul Corderman, $840 to Washington County Republican Club PAC, and $300 to troubled Washington County Commissioner Jeff Cline. Our review also counted 19 companies associated with Fitzgerald in Hagerstown or the surrounding area that are either forfeited or listed as “not in good standing.”
About four months before the office celebration, tenants in Fitzgerald’s rental business were dealing with the consequences of another unpaid bill. In May, WUSA9 reported that more than 60 residents at Long Meadow Apartments went eight days without gas and hot water after the property owner failed to pay Columbia Gas on time. Hagerstown temporarily condemned the building, leaving some residents paying for hotels while others said they had nowhere to go. One resident said gas was included in her rent, yet she had been boiling water to bathe.
Complaints about Gideon Properties have also been shared online, including in this local Facebook discussion. In a BBB review posted March 19, 2026, a reviewer alleged an apartment infestation and paint thinner stored near a gas water heater. On Indeed, reviewers identifying themselves as former workers have criticized management, and a maintenance technician’s review alleged late pay and pressure to cut corners on repairs. These are published allegations from people describing their experiences with the business.
Rental licensing allegations also appear in official court records. Page 489 of the Maryland Judiciary’s April 1, 2026 cases-filed report lists three municipal infraction citations filed against Gideon Properties, LLC on March 31, with Fitzgerald named in the company’s mailing information. Each alleges failure to register rental property for the 2025–2026 licensing year, and one expressly references prior notice.
It is stunning to see local politicians and party leaders celebrating a new, possibly free office for the Women’s Republican Club of Washington County from Fitzgerald given the many allegations of his current and past residential tenants. Jeff Cline, Randal Leatherman, Dan Young, Paul Corderman, Brenda Thiam, William Wivell, and Beth Harvey posed alongside him at a building whose unpaid obligations had already triggered a tax sale, months after tenants in his rental business were left scrambling for somewhere to sleep. The people who paid for hotels or boiled water to bathe deserve at least as much attention as the political organization receiving his reported generosity.