Baltimore City IG claims Scott admin. is trying to ‘undermine’ her independence

MARYLAND (WBFF) — Baltimore City Inspector General Isabel Cumming is refuting claims made by Mayor Brandon Scott’s administration and the City Council in their ongoing legal battle over transparency.

In new filings Friday, Cumming is asking a judge to reject the city’s motion to dismiss her lawsuit and instead rule in her favor.

On July 10, the city’s Law Department asked the court to dismiss Inspector General Isabel Cumming’s lawsuit and deny her request for summary judgment. Attorneys for the city argued the OIG is attempting to obtain “unfettered access” to city records, attorney-client communications and taxpayer-funded legal representation without legal authority.

In her reply, Cumming contends the Scott administration is attempting to undermine the independence of the Office of the Inspector General by limiting its access to city records and investigative authority.

Earlier this year, Cumming sued Mayor Brandon Scott after his administration began treating OIG subpoenas as requests under the Maryland Public Information Act, MPIA, allowing records to be redacted or withheld under state confidentiality laws.

Friday’s filings argue the city’s interpretation of Maryland’s Public Information Act (MPIA) conflicts with the Baltimore City Charter and would weaken the OIG’s ability to investigate fraud, waste and abuse.

The filings include an affadavit from former City Solicitor Andre M. Davis – who recommended Cumming for appointment in 2018 and helped craft the charter amendment that established the OIG as an independent office.

Davis calls the City’s argument an ‘extraordinary assertion.’

“The contention that the Maryland Public Information Act somehow impedes the City’s effort to enhance the work of the independent OIG is a novel and extraordinary assertion. Had such a proposition been advanced during my time as City Solicitor, the CLD would have done absolutely everything within its authority to rebut such an assertion and confirm that direct access by the OIG is entirely consistent with disclosure requirements and mandatory exemptions and exceptions contained in the Maryland Public Information Act.”

Cumming also argues the City denied her requests for access to Department of Public Works documents and the City’s water billing system – despite previous access.

Mayor Scott’s administration previously filed to have the IG’s case dismissed on May 28.

The next hearing in this case is set for this upcoming Tuesday, July 28.

This article will be updated.