Baltimore Mayor Scott defends clash with inspector general over access to city records

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott is defending his administration's efforts to keep some information out of the public eye amid an ongoing legal battle with Inspector General Isabel Cumming.  

Last week, a judge rejected the city's request to clarify and reconsider a prior order requiring it to turn over information to the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) for several investigations.

Scott said Wednesday that the inspector general has made broad requests for information, accusing Cumming of turning the routine disclosure process into a media circus. He said the inspector general has issued dozens of requests without clearly defining the scope of the investigations.

The mayor claimed the city has tried for months to work with Cumming and the OIG board to fulfill the requests, but said she has refused.

Scott said the city has "nothing to hide" and described the recent court rulings as a normal part of the legal process.

"Pursuing these overly-broad requests just so she can complain in the media that the city isn't fulfilling them fast enough is a waste of our time, her time, and everyone else's time," Scott said.

A judge also rejected the mayor's motion to dismiss the case.

The city and the OIG have been fighting in court for months over the inspector general's access to city records and subpoena power.

Earlier this year, the OIG filed a lawsuit against the city over access to information and its authority to issue and enforce subpoenas. Cumming said she was blocked from accessing documents essential to her investigations.

Cumming said the lawsuit sought to prevent the city from interfering with OIG investigations and from restricting access to confidential systems. She said the city refused to comply with a subpoena by attempting to recategorize it as a request under the Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA), based on advice from an attorney with the Maryland Office of the Attorney General.

In response to the subpoenas, the lawsuit alleges that the city provided the OIG with heavily redacted documents.

The legal dispute between the OIG and the city began when the inspector general was investigating a program under the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (MONSE).

Cumming said the city's law department abruptly cut off her access to documents last January and worked to limit her subpoena power.

The city alleges that Cumming and her team were "rifling through everyone's documents."

Attorney Renita Collins said the inspector general was improperly given full access to the city's server.

Collins argued that Cumming should be subject to Maryland's Public Information Act — the same rules as the public — when accessing records.

The city argued that the Baltimore City Charter's mandate for an independent inspector general with subpoena power cannot supersede state law.