Inspector General fights back after Mayor Scott moves to neuter her powers

It happened to Baltimore Inspector General Isabel Mercedes Cumming suddenly, over a snowy weekend in January: her online access to city records was cut off. This followed a subpoena issued by her office demanding the unredacted financial records for a youth program run by the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (MONSE). The documents that came back included more than 200 pages with redactions that the city law Department acknowledged were almost all made by them. Under changes imposed by City Solicitor Ebony Thompson, at the behest of Mayor Brandon Scott, information that Cumming’s office “could previously gather within hours or days will now take months to collect” and could be redacted by city lawyers invoking attorney-client privilege as well as the Maryland Public Information Act, Cumming said in the lawsuit she later filed.

May 8, 20260

IG Cumming attracts ardent fans at hearing to regain records access, but faces longshot odds with City Council

Scenes from the hearing on Mark Conway’s charter amendment to give the Baltimore Inspector General her powers back, including the Law Department “gotcha” that wasn’t.

May 1, 20260

The Brandon Scott image Cumming posted was bad, but Ferguson exploiting it to shut her work down is shameful

The attacks on Cumming are aimed at diverting attention from Scott’s goal: to neutralize the inspector general’s ability to investigate fraud, waste and abuse within his administration. [OP-ED]

Apr 22, 20260

Mayor Scott’s chief of staff files complaint over Inspector General Cumming’s online post

Cumming apologizes for the video. City rules require complaints going before the Ethics Board to be kept confidential, but this one was leaked to the media.

Apr 17, 20260

BREAKING: Judge denies city’s motion to disqualify attorneys, allowing IG Cumming’s lawsuit to proceed

The judge’s decision undercuts the administration’s broader efforts to limit the inspector general’s access to city records.

Apr 17, 20260

Baltimore judge, hearing the city’s case against Inspector General Cumming, appears skeptical

What if blocking one of her subpoenas is “perceived as . . . denying the IG the opportunity to engage in their duties – that’s not a conflict?” Circuit Court Judge Pamela White asked.

Mar 31, 20260

Scott administration says IG Cumming’s request for records access is illegal and her suit should be thrown out

Faced with a subpoena seeking documents about one of his programs, Baltimore’s mayor argues that the inspector general’s subpoena powers only apply to entities outside of city government.

Feb 25, 20260

Baltimore mayor’s office spent over $890,000 on food, office parties and flowers, IG report finds

The Scott administration’s new restrictions on OIG access to documents “would have limited this investigation,” Inspector General Isabel Mercedes Cumming points out.

Feb 11, 20260

Baltimore Inspector General Cumming says she will go to court to fight for records

The IG Advisory Board approves the hiring of outside legal counsel. Cumming reveals her fight with the Scott administration centers on MONSE. UPDATE: Mayor’s office says legal action by OIG in her official capacity is “not feasible.”

Feb 3, 20260

Citizen advisory board backs Inspector General Cumming’s quest for unredacted records

Without access to IT system data and financial records, the Office of the Inspector General cannot effectively identify and prevent waste, fraud and abuse in city government, the board says.

Jan 27, 20260

Baltimore IG Cumming says the Scott administration is blocking her investigations

On Saturday, the OIG was denied access to city records. Today the inspector general fired back, saying, “We basically cannot do our job.” UPDATED with mayor’s office reply.