Mayor Scott adds SideStep investigator as cost questions remain

BALTIMORE (WBFF) — Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott is expanding his administration’s independent review of the now-defunct SideStep youth diversion program, prompting new questions about whether taxpayers are paying for multiple investigations into the same program while the city’s own watchdog continues to fight for access to records in court.

The latest addition to the mayor’s review team is former Washington, D.C., Attorney General Karl Racine, a nationally known attorney who will join an investigation the city says is expected to wrap up within 90 days.

The announcement comes as Baltimore Inspector General Isabel Cumming maintains her office has been blocked from obtaining records needed to fully investigate SideStep, setting up what critics say could amount to duplicate investigations funded by taxpayers.

SideStep was launched as a pilot program, run through the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, MONSE. The goal was to steer young people away from the criminal justice system. However, almost immediately after its launch, the program became the subject of controversy and questions.

Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates previously criticized SideStep, especially when it came to data sharing between his office and MONSE, along with victim notification.

“There’s a role for MONSE that’s not in the leadership. It’s in the backseat to allow the professionals to do the job,” Bates previously told FOX45 News.

The Office of Inspector General published a report that found shortcomings in the program’s planning and data collection.

Months later, the Scott Administration restricted the Inspector General’s access to city records, and now, that issue is the center of an ongoing legal battle between City Hall and Cumming’s office.

Despite those obstacles, the OIG later uncovered fraudulent invoices tied to the SideStep program, raising additional concerns about oversight and accountability.

Following months of questions, Mayor Scott announced earlier this year that the city intended to work with Baker Tilly, an international consulting firm specializing in forensic audits, to conduct an independent review of SideStep.

At the time, City Hall released few details about the contract, including how much the review would cost taxpayers. Now, the administration is expanding that effort by bringing in Racine.

According to the mayor’s announcement, Racine will work under a retainer agreement and, along with the investigative team, will have “access [to] all documents necessary” to conduct the review.

That announcement prompted FOX45 News to ask City Hall several questions Monday, including:

• How was Racine selected?
• Why was another investigator added to the review?
• What is the cost of the retainer agreement?
• Will Racine have access to records the Inspector General has been unable to obtain?

In response, the Mayor’s Office issued a statement to FOX45 News but didn’t answer all the questions.

Racine was chosen due to his role in establishing and expanding the violence intervention system in D.C., according to the Mayor’s Office.

“His experience in public office as well as his extensive experience leading reviews of critical public and private sector institutions made him the perfect choice to assist Baker Tilly in this independent review,” the statement continued.

However, it’s not clear how much city taxpayers will be on the hook for this investigation as Mayor Scott’s team declined to comment on those details.

“The City does not release the terms of its arrangements with outside counsel,” the statement continued.

David Williams, president of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, questioned why the city is investing additional taxpayer money into another investigation when the Inspector General could do the same job.

“It’s going to be expensive,” Williams said.

Williams said Mayor Scott could avoid the additional cost to taxpayers by restoring the IG’s access to records.

“There is no need to bring in this new person or to spend any more taxpayer money,” Williams said. “All the mayor has to do is give access back to the Inspector General, and we can find out pretty quickly what’s happening within SideStep.”

Williams also called on the Board of Estimates – which is controlled by Mayor Scott, but is chaired by Council President Zeke Cohen, and also includes Mayor Scott, the City Solicitor, director of the Department of Public Works, and Comptroller – to ask questions, too.

“The Board of Estimates, they need to demand an estimate of how much this is going to cost the city and city taxpayers.”

He added that the review “could be an exercise in futility and a waste of taxpayer money.”

Racine served as attorney general of Washington, D.C. and now is a partner at Hogan Lovells Cadwalader. He also worked at Venable, the same law firm the current and former city solicitors previously worked. In August 2025, Racine resigned from his role as the police consent decree monitor in Cleveland.

The addition of Racine to the probe into SideStep comes as the legal fight between Mayor Scott’s administration and Inspector General Cumming continues. The IG is seeking a court order to enforce her subpoena power amid her probe into SideStep.

Cumming maintains the job of her office – to root out waste, fraud and abuse in city government – hinges on that access. However, Mayor Scott argues the information requested can’t be released due to Maryland’s public information law.

The Scott Administration is utilizing a new interpretation of Public Information Act, a law Cumming said hasn’t changed and hasn’t been an issue for her access before.

Both parties are expected to appear in court for a hearing on July 28.

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