Statement on Sentencing Memorandum and Ethics in City Government

Statement on Sentencing Memorandum
and Ethics in City Government

"Our number one concern must be the betterment of Baltimore" — Council President Scott

BALTIMORE, MD (February 14, 2020) — Council President Brandon M. Scott released the following statement in response to the sentencing memorandum released yesterday by federal prosecutors in the investigation into former Mayor Pugh:

"For far too long, we have had Mayors and city officials who have taken actions to undermine and violate the public trust. Two Mayors and two Delegates in recent memory have had to leave their offices in disgrace. On top of that, our city government currently budgets zero dollars for ethics enforcement. The events of the past year – and the past decade – in Baltimore are sobering examples of what that means for our city. That failed leadership is a big reason why our city suffers from high crime, inequitable service, and struggling schools.

Real leaders take responsibility for their decisions. Real leaders take action.

Since becoming City Council President in May, I have been very clear that cleaning up city government would be a top priority. I have been proud to lead a Council that understands that. The people of Baltimore want us to put policies in place that prevent another violation like this from happening again. I take seriously the need to reform city government and increase accountability.

Under my leadership, the City Council took the following steps: 

• Closed the Healthy Holly loophole, mandating that elected officials fully report their business interests;
• Protected whistleblowers who report misconduct and fraud.

Our work is not done. The following bills are still working their way through the legislative process: 

• A bill I sponsored requiring elected officials report gifts received from people who wish to influence legislation or receive city contracts;
• A bill allocating resources and staff capacity to the Ethics Board;
• Charter amendments, which would allow the Council to remove the Mayor from office for misconduct and enact stronger checks and balances across City Hall;
• My proposal to reform the Board of Estimates, a structure that has been at the center of two recent Mayors' scandals. This charter amendment would remove the Mayoral appointees from the Board of Estimates to increase transparency and deliberation around city contracts. 

Unless we address the outdated, broken structure of city government and make our processes more transparent, they are doomed to breed corruption and inefficiencies. We must reorient our priorities. You deserve to know your City Council is working on your behalf to close every ethics loophole and become more transparent and accountable.

Baltimore needs to see better in our leaders. I ask my City Council colleagues to take our charge as the elected, public servants of the City of Baltimore very seriously. We have a duty to be ethical, responsible, and community-minded in our work as legislators and representatives. Our number one concern must be the betterment of Baltimore – and what that means for our kids, our neighborhoods, and our health as a city."