That simple City Hall headline – Baltimore’s Spending Committee Approves New Travel Policies for Elected Officials – provides little context for the procedural intrigues that have sprung up today from the vehement demands of a close ally of Nick and Marilyn Mosby.

As a body that approves government contracts, the appraisal committee limits public comments to vendors who have a legal “opinion” as a provider of urban goods or services.

But today Rev. Kobi Little, President of the Baltimore Chapter of the NAACP, was invited by Council President Nick Mosby to attend the virtual meeting directed by Comptroller Bill Henry (“I guess,” he added).

Rev. Little then directed the board of directors to “completely abandon” the new travel policy and condemned the rules as “official”, “baseless”, “suffocating” and “anti-democratic”.

“I would tell you, and the NAACP would tell you, do not undermine the democratic process and the will of the electorate by adopting policies that limit the ability of elected officials to choose how they use their time and what conversations you are important. “

While he never mentioned Marilyn Mosby by name, Little alluded to overzealous politics that “stumble” an “awkwardly” elected official and “lead to something for which they should not be held accountable”.

He warned Mayor Brandon Scott that the enactment of the rules would make it “very, very possible” that future mayors could prevent other officials from traveling to meetings where they could gather information “that would contradict the mayor’s policies.”

“No elected official will approve of anyone traveling in Hawaii. But this trip could be very valuable, ”he said.

Kobi Little never uttered the words “Marilyn Mosby” today, but was referring to an officer being “tripped over” for something “which should not be held accountable”. (CharmTV)

What wasn’t said

The subject of Little’s concern were minor revisions to travel reporting requirements for elected officials.

The new rules require those elected to follow employee practice by submitting a form detailing the destination, dates, purpose and cost of traveling outside of the city on government business.

The rules put no limit on total costs other than the state daily rates for hotels and meals. Nor do they limit the number of trips an elected official can make. Travel to any destination in the world is still allowed.

What the revised rules require is that $ 100 travel paid by third parties – or $ 800 travel paid by the city and third party jointly – be disclosed to the appraisal committee. Travel outside of the continental USA would also be publicly noted on the BOE agenda.

And that was the problem that no one wanted to deal directly with at the meeting – prosecutor Marilyn Mosby’s fierce determination to use her power to defend her travel habits from Covid.

Since The Brew published an article Through her dozens of trips to conferences in Europe, Africa and the US, Mosby has sought official discharge for her unfair and misleading reporting.

At Mosby’s urging, Baltimore’s Inspector General Isabel Mercedes Cumming opened an investigation into the travel and private company the prosecutor founded after her second term.

Prosecutor Marilyn Mosby at a 2017 meeting on the rising crime rate in Baltimore. (Fern Shen)

Cumming’s report, released in February, found no misused travel funds, but criticized Mosby for failing to disclose many of her trips to the appraisal committee and using her private company to write off federal taxes.

Mosby yelled Foul. She said she did not need to report the trips because the city did not pay for her, and she and her lawyers insisted that Cumming “correct” the report.

The Brew’s coverage of the Mosbys

Within a few days, the controversy erupted into a firestorm of attacks on Cumming.

Rev. Little brought the charges. He and several prominent defense lawyers and publicists issued press releases and participated in social media events, accusing the Inspector General of racist “Alignment”Black elected officials. Many demanded their impeachment.

To quell the controversy, Mayor Scott announced that his staff would update the administration manual to clarify travel policies and make the process more accountable.

The revised rules were released last month. Twice since then, Nick Mosby asked the BOE to delay its approval so that its staff and council members could review it.

Nick Mosby left the criticism of the travel rules in the hands of Rev. Little and Auditor Bill Henry, below.  (CharmTV)

Nick Mosby left the strongest criticism of the travel rules to Rev. Little and Auditor Bill Henry below. (CharmTV)

Bill Henry at BOE June 9th

No revisions

Today Mosby did not offer a revision of the proposed rules. He praised City Solicitor James Shea and Human Resources Director Quentin Herbert for “going line by line and answering our questions and concerns.”

But despite his praise, Mosby kept referring to the 17 elected officials covered by the rules (14 city council members, himself, Auditor Henry, and Mayor Scott).

His wife’s position was missing from the list. Did Nick Mosby claim the prosecutor was exempt?

Neither Scott nor Shea questioned Mosby’s statements during the meeting. Scott later said the new guidelines would cover 18 posts, including the prosecutor, and would go into effect immediately.

Henry looks to the table

During the meeting, Scott and Shea listened quietly to Rev. Little’s attacks.

Scott began to speak out after Auditor Henry Little said he fully agreed with his criticism of the rules and would be “happy” to “put this matter on indefinitely.”

“I move that we agree,” shot the mayor back.

“I would ask that this matter be postponed,” Henry repeated before adding the caveat, “only if the administration is willing to actually hold talks that address the issues raised by Rev. Little.”

Describing his suggestion as a “conditional postponement” of the new rules, Henry continued, “If there is no appetite for it, then I don’t want to waste everyone’s time.”

“Then we should just postpone the proposal,” Scott replied.

After several to and fro, the vote was finally taken.

Three yeses (Scott and his two appointees, Shea and DPW Assistant Director Matthew Garbark) and one no (Henry).

“I will abstain from this vote,” Mosby happily announced to the board.

“It’s over. So let’s move on.”

Mayor Scott forced a vote on the travel policy, which was approved with his 3 votes on the five-member board.  (CharmTV)

Mayor Scott rejected a postponement of the rules proposed by Auditor Henry, while his three votes secured their approval. (CharmTV)

Marilyn Mosby: “I’m on credit”

In today’s vote, Marilyn Mosby requested the travel changes.

They were created as a result of “the inspector general’s inaccurate claim that I violated the city’s travel rules,” she said in a statement from her office.

While she reiterated that she did not need to seek approval for travel that was not paid for by the city, she said that her trips were fully disclosed on her state ethics forms, which is a high bar for public disclosure.

Here is Mosby’s statement:

“The origin of today’s vote was the Inspector General’s inaccurate claim that I violated the city’s travel rules, which were officially disclosed in all of my ethics records.

“Consistent with my concerns about the OIG’s inaccurate report, the city attorney issued a statement stating that ‘neither the city charter nor the city code require BOE approval for unfunded travel by an elected official.”

“Since I have always disclosed all my work-related trips, I support the decision of the board of directors to officially demand the same of the elected representatives of the city. Unfortunately, contrary to its public promise, the OIG has not yet corrected its report on this subject. “