BALTIMORE (WBFF) — As the Baltimore City Council continues to debate whether the body will give the city’s watchdog access to records once accessible for investigations, there’s a continued question about why the sudden shift in policy occurred.
Earlier this year, Inspector General Isabel Cumming received heavily redacted documents and amid an investigation into the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, MONSE, and then had subpoenas ignored. She then sued City Hall over access; that litigation is ongoing. The probe involves a once-operational pilot youth diversion program known as SideStep.
Mayor Brandon Scott’s administration utilized a new interpretation of the Maryland Public Information Act, MPIA, to restrict what information was shared with the OIG. The new interpretation stemmed from an advice letter from the Office of Attorney General at the request of a state senator, for a separate MPIA- related bill.
The OAG denied a public records request from FOX45 News to learn exactly what was requested in that advice letter, citing attorney-client privilege. However, Attorney General Anthony Brown told FOX45 News in a previous interview that the letter was simply advice, and not an official opinion.
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“This is not advice about the extent to which the Baltimore City Inspector General can do their work,” Brown previously told FOX45 News.
City Councilman Mark Conway introduced a charter amendment to give the OIG back the access to records and urged his fellow elected to get on board.
“I do think it’s very important to realize that there has been no new law,” Cumming said during a recent hearing on the proposal. “There has been no attorney general opinion.”
While some members of the council indicated support for the watchdog and the work of rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse in government, Conway’s proposal received pushback and legal arguments. The likelihood of the charter amendment clearing the council in time to appear on the ballot this year is slim.
“I don’t have all that much confidence in the Law Department’s approach to this thus far,” Conway said. “Why would we prevent the IG from having that access if we did that in order to prevent fraud, waste and abuse?”
Pease make the right decision, Conway said. Who are we protecting here?
FOX45 News is still awaiting a public records request from Mayor Scott’s Office to review documents related to the requested OAG advice letter and other communication.
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Meanwhile, the MPIA restriction issue isn’t just impacting the inspector general in Baltimore City. In Annapolis, legislation was proposed during the 2026 session exempting inspectors general from MPIA restrictions. But lawmakers failed to move the plan and it died in the committee.
Megan Davey Limarzi, the watchdog in Montgomery County, told FOX45 News in a statement that she will continue to “pursue a legislative response that will enable my office to do our job in the thorough and independent way our community demands,” despite the legislation’s failure to pass.
“The Montgomery County OIG has existed for almost 30 years and our county law has always articulated a commitment to full access to county records for the Inspector General,” Davey Limarzi said. “I plan to spend time this summer speaking with elected officials to find a path forward next session and welcome dialogue with the Senate President’s office, just as I offered during session.”
The effects of the use of MPIA to limit IG access are still coming into focus but without an exemption to the MPIA, IGs will be forced to divert resources to resolve document disputes, they will be limited in their ability to provide timely oversight, and ultimately, government transparency will be obscured, Montgomery County Inspector General Megan Davey Limarzi told FOX45 News via statement.
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