Mayor Brandon Scott plans to name his former campaign treasurer to a high-level post at City Hall despite resignations and a possible lawsuit arising from his brief term as chair of East Baltimore Development Inc.

Calvin A. Young is slated to become a senior advisor to Scott, responsible for economic and community development, multiple sources tell The Brew, despite his lack of experience in real estate and allegations of political retaliation at EBDI, a city-funded nonprofit charged with revitalizing the 88-acre site next to the Johns Hopkins Medical Campus.

Young, who has not responded to Brew questions, will join other insiders with plum jobs in the Scott administration, including:

• Marvin James, Scott’s 2020 campaign manager and a former Lyft associate who is now the mayor’s chief of staff.

• Bryan Doherty, deputy COS and former communications advisor for the Scott campaign.

• James David “J.D.” Merrill, a former social studies teacher and state Senate candidate named Interim Deputy Mayor for Equity, Health and Human Services in June.

• Caylin Young, the twin brother of Calvin Young, who is a state delegate (D, 45th) as well as deputy director of the city’s Office of Equity and Civil Rights.

Dismissals and Resignations

A longtime friend of the mayor, Calvin Young was named EBDI chair by Scott in March, not long after he became treasurer of Scott’s reelection committee that raised over $1.4 million prior to the May Democratic primary.

Since then, the 36-year-old private equity investor, who has a degree in mechanical engineering, has dismissed EBDI’s two senior real estate executives – one allegedly for supporting Sheila Dixon in the May primary – leading to a virtual standstill in the nonprofit’s activities.

• Three employees flunk the mayor’s loyalty test, while a fourth gets a job with the sheriff (8/13/24)

• Fired EBDI officer threatens to sue Mayor Scott for political retaliation (9/3/24)

Abraham Rosenthal, an internationally known developer and architect, resigned as chair of EBDI’s real estate committee following Young’s dismissal of Andrew Freeman and Karen Johnson.

In a blistering June 11 letter to the EBDI board reviewed by The Brew, Rosenthal said he was disgusted by what he viewed as a hostile takeover by an inexperienced political operative.

“The chair seems to have limited experience with many matters that affect EBDI, yet he has unilaterally made significant board changes, terminated employees and taken the lead in discussing all matters as though EBDI does not have a CEO.

“On Thursday of last week,” Rosenthal continued, “I learned after the fact that the chair has determined to immediately terminate Andy Freeman, our head of real estate. This followed the earlier termination of Karen Johnson, a 20+ year EBDI executive, last month.

“There was no consultation nor conversation with me in advance to review and discuss this impulsive decision”  – Abraham Rosenthal.

“With regards to Mr. Freeman’s termination, there was no consultation nor conversation with me in advance to review and discuss this impulsive decision. No excuse or rationale was given except that the chair decided to do so.”

One immediate effect of Freeman’s firing is the loss of about $500,000 in fees that EBDI will likely have to pay to an outside consultant to handle infrastructure construction that Freeman was supervising, according to Rosenthal.

In addition, eight agreements with developers and with Johns Hopkins to sell land worth about $26 million are at risk because EBDI “lacks individuals with real estate transaction knowledge,” his letter asserted.

These projects include new townhouses, mid-rise apartments and commercial space on acres of leveled land along Ashland Avenue, Eager Street and elsewhere.

Call for Forensic Audit

Last week, Freeman’s attorney presented a claims notice to the city that he intends to file a lawsuit against the mayor “for retaliation on the basis of political expression or association in violation of the First Amendment and Article 40 of the Maryland Declaration of Rights.”

His notice included email correspondence with EBDI President and CEO Cheryl Washington, who noted after his firing:

“Being CEO at EBDI can mean very little at times. . .  I don’t even have the words to express how I’m incredibly sorry and livid I am about how things went down.”

One demand by Freeman to settle the case before going to court is the removal of Calvin Young as EBDI chair.

Also resigning from the EBDI board was Anthony G. King, who headed the finance committee and was listed as the nonprofit’s treasurer.

An immediate issue for King, sources said, was Young’s high-handed attitude toward EBDI finances and penchant for making decisions without the knowledge of the committee.

King, a Pikesville accountant, could not be reached for comment.

During his five months as chair, Young not only cut the number of board members from 15 to nine, but eliminated two of the three community members that traditionally sat on the panel.

The reconstituted board now includes one community member and three political appointees – City Councilmen Antonio Glover and Robert Stokes (ex officio) and state Senator Cory V. McCray (D, 45th), who Young recently named EBDI treasurer.

Last month, Glover and Stokes introduced a resolution to the City Council calling for an informational hearing on EBDI operations and for a forensic audit.

The City Council has not been briefed in years about the revitalization efforts and the large vacant spaces controlled by the organization.

What’s more, “members of the Broadway East Community group have determined a forensic audit is necessary to clarify questions from both investors and community members.”

The resolution calls on EBDI representatives, presumably led by Young, to give a status report of its operations, community involvement and timetable for the much-delayed audit.

• To reach a reporter: reuttermark@yahoo.com