State Leaders Weigh In On Mayor Pugh's Continued Leave Of Absence, Calls For Resignation
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Congressional leaders are starting to weigh in on Mayor Pugh's leave of absence and the calls for for her to resign.
WJZ's Paul Gessler reached out to Maryland's congressional delegation about their thoughts on her future- all of them talked around the question of whether she should resign.
This comes as investigations swirl around her "Healthy Holly" books and the extent of the conflicts of her business deals with multiple companies and non-profits who do business with Baltimore City.
The list of those asking for her resignation is growing- ranging from City Council and the City's state house delegation to newspaper editorial boards- and even British comedian John Oliver.
"It might be better for her to walk, run, crawl, skip or dance her way out of the office," Oliver said on the show segment.
Those calls extended this weekend, somewhat to Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Cardin) who spoke broadly for the need to support current acting Mayor Jack Young.
"Baltimore needs leadership. Baltimore needs to support the ex-officio mayor, and doing everything we can for economic growth. For the image of Baltimore, I think it's important we move forward," Cardin said.
When asked whether Pugh could govern effectively if she returns from her health- induced leave of absence, Young said no.
"According to all the folks who asked for her to resign, the latest being the Greater Baltimore Committee- that's the business community- I really don't think so," Young said.
Effective or not, Cardin said whether she resigns is not a question for other elected officials.
"That's going to be up to the people of Baltimore. That's up to Mayor Pugh," Cardin said.
According to the current city charter, there is nothing that calls for the removal of a mayor. Article 11, Section 6 of the Maryland state constitution vaguely suggests the governor could remove the mayor, but only if she is convicted.
Gov. Hogan said he thinks Mayor Pugh should resign, but has pointed out that it is up to the state's prosecutor's office to get to the facts.
State Comptroller Peter Franchot (D-Maryland), renewed his call Monday for the mayor to step aside for good.
"I hope the mayor can resign, sooner rather than later, and I hope that the new elections will bring in someone who has integrity," Franchot said.
A spokesperson for Mayor Pugh said Monday afternoon Pugh still has pneumonia, and has no comment on the latest calls for her to resign.
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