In announcing Special Advisor Marvin James’ departure yesterday, Brandon Scott’s press office stressed that James was not being forced out by Fox45, which has been reporting on his long absences from City Hall and travels, via a city-issued car, to local restaurants, a hair salon and a political candidate’s office in Washington, D.C.

According to the press office, James “provided the mayor with his intent to resign his position this year in April, months before it was revealed that he was being inappropriately stalked by individuals employed by Sinclair Broadcasting Inc.”

If the mayor’s $198,000-a-year whisperer and former campaign manager was headed out the door, why did Scott approve a travel request by James to fly off to New Orleans on July 17 to attend the National Association of Counties (NACo) conference and exposition?

The travel request, approved by Scott and the rest of the Board of Estimates on June 17, allotted $2,212 in public funds for James to spend four days in The Big Easy.

The goal of his mission? “The conference provides the opportunity to exchange cutting-edge practices and develop a federal policy agenda for the year ahead,” said his request form.

“The per-diem rate for this location is $144/night, and meals and incidentals is $80/day per the GSA per diem rate,” the request said, but James was asking for more – an additional $328 to cover his hotel room and $140 for parking at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport and ground transportation.

His trip, which will apparently now be cancelled, was not in isolation.

In May, he attended the International Council of Shopping Centers Convention in Las Vegas and rubbed shoulders with hundreds of consultants, commercial lenders, developers and other campaign donors at the “Maryland Party” held at the Fontainebleau. The trip cost $4,071.08 and was billed to taxpayers.

A few weeks earlier, he traveled to a four-day gathering of the African American Mayors Association in Washington.

James was not there as a representative of the city, but instead as a personal emissary for Scott, “serv[ing] as liaison for the mayor’s office as Mayor Scott now serves as the president of the organization.” the travel request form said.

His $2,400 bill was submitted three weeks late to the Board of Estimates, but nevertheless was approved.

Joining Another Power Player

In his new capacity as an equity partneratf Martin-Lauer Associates, James will be officially entering the realm he had been quietly pursuing as a city employee – a full-fledged campaign strategist and political operative.

Since launching her firm in 1991, Colleen Martin-Lauer has been a mainstay in Maryland Democratic Party fundraising.

She laid the groundwork for Martin O’Malley’s rise from city councilman to Baltimore mayor and Maryland governor, and guided Marilyn Mosby in her 2014 primary upset against incumbent Baltimore State’s Attorney Gregg Bernstein.

She has worked for Scott since he was a young, backbench councilman and was a crucial component – along with James, his campaign manager – in Scott’s 2020 primary win and 2024 defeat of former Mayor Sheila Dixon for a second mayoral term.

Scott’s political committee is Martin-Lauer’s biggest client and spent more than $70,000 on her services in 2025, a non-election year, according to State Elections Board records.

Her client list extends to seven of the Baltimore’s 15 council members, including Council Vice President Sharon Green Middleton, John Bullock, Jermaine Jones, James Torrence and Odette Ramos.

In a media statement yesterday, Mayor Scott lauded James’ 5½ years by his side, calling him “a tireless advocate for our city” who has been “at the forefront of every historic success, every emergency response and every challenging moment of this administration.”

Equally significant, the mayor signaled that his influence in local politics is far from over, noting that “while we will deeply miss him in city government, his impact will be felt for years to come in City Hall.”