Mayor Scott calls for more oversight for Baltimore IG, launches MONSE probe

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott responded to mounting criticism of his office’s efforts to curtail the inspector general’s access to records with a proposal to increase oversight of the position and launch an independent review of the city’s SideStep program.

Scott’s proposal, which he announced during a news conference Wednesday, requires action from local and state legislators to amend the structure of the office and set the level of access inspectors general are entitled to.

Locally, Scott has proposed creating an “audit trail” for when the inspector general requests records that could later be reviewed by an oversight board. He also proposed appointing a representative from the city’s law office to mediate disputes between the administration and the inspector general. That person would take daily direction from the inspector general, not city attorneys, the administration said.

At the state level, Scott is calling for amendments to the Maryland Public Information Act to create a carve-out for inspectors general statewide. Documents protected by attorney-client privilege could continue to be redacted. He also requested mandatory oversight boards and regular reviews of inspector general work.

“Our oversight system is not a political football, but its current structure has allowed it to become one,” Scott said. Current rules do not require periodic review.

Scott’s proposal would give the administration more influence in overseeing the inspector general, which city residents voted to make independent in 2018. That city charter amendment was prompted by a series of mayors terminating inspectors general critical of their administrations.

A second charter amendment in 2022 further strengthened the office by changing the structure of its advisory board, which previously included some of the city’s highest officeholders.

Baltimore Inspector General Isabel Mercedes Cumming responded with a statement Thursday calling Scott’s plan an attempt to “eviscerate the independence enshrined in the OIG and regain power.”

“What he proposes is not accountability, it is control,” she said.

The proposal comes amid a dispute between Scott and Cumming over the latter’s access to city documents. Earlier this year, the Scott administration terminated Cumming’s ability to review city legal records after discovering that she and her staff had “unfettered access.” The mayor’s office argued that was a violation of attorney-client and work-product privileges.

Weeks later, the administration blocked the IG’s access to a wider swath of records after receiving legal advice from an attorney with the Maryland Office of the Attorney General. That guidance, which Attorney General Anthony Brown has since tried to distance himself from, said Cumming’s office was subject to restrictions in the Maryland Public Information Act. Those restrictions limit access to sensitive records, including financial information and personnel documents.

In response, Cumming sued the Scott administration, asking a judge to force Scott’s team to fulfill subpoenas. The case is pending, but last month the judge overseeing it called the administration’s position “concerning.”

At the heart of the dispute are records related to the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, specifically a youth diversion program called SideStep. Cumming’s reports have criticized the program’s oversight and found evidence of fraudulent invoices submitted by two of its vendors.

Scott said Wednesday that critics of Baltimore’s anti-violence initiatives have used the dispute to undermine the work, suggesting the office has something to hide.

“That simply is just a lie,” he said. “Their work is public, community-driven and backed by extensive research and data.”

Scott announced that he has tapped consulting firm Baker Tilly to conduct an independent review of SideStep, a pilot program that ended in 2024. He said the city needs someone “neutral to restore trust,” adding that the firm will begin its work as soon as possible. The city will pursue legal action against contractors if warranted, Scott said. It’s not clear how much the review will cost.

Asked how much the review will cost and where the funds will come from, a spokesman for Scott said the details were still being finalized.

In her statement Thursday, Cumming said Scott’s engagement of Baker Tilly was “disappointing and disheartening.”

“It is the OIG — not a private entity selected by the mayor and paid for through taxpayer funded dollars — that has the responsibility to conduct those investigations,” she said.

The local portion of Scott’s proposal requires action from the Baltimore City Council, which just this week pumped the brakes on a proposed ballot question that aimed to enshrine the inspector general’s access to records. An effort to expedite the ballot question failed in a 1-13 vote.

In addition to the proposed audit trail, Scott’s plan would require the inspector general’s oversight board to conduct quarterly reviews of the IG’s investigative work.

Last week, Gayle Guilford, chair of the board, told the City Council that she did not want the board to oversee Cumming’s investigations.

Council President Zeke Cohen, who has been supportive of past efforts to make the inspector general more independent but voted against the proposed ballot question, said the council is “committed to effective oversight and accountability.”

“We appreciate the mayor putting forward this proposal and we look forward to reviewing it,” Cohen said.

Councilman Mark Conway, sponsor of the ballot question legislation and frequent critic of the mayor, said the mayor’s plan would limit the inspector general to investigating “only through procedures controlled by the mayor’s lawyers and politically contaminated oversight structures.”

“Let’s be clear: anything short of restoring full direct access to the inspector general is a cosmetic measure designed to protect City Hall, not the public,” he said.

Asked how he expected the inspector general to receive the proposal, Scott said: “No one is above oversight.”