Taxpayers fume as Baltimore spends thousands polishing councilmembers’ social media

BALTIMORE (WBFF) — Tens of thousands of Baltimore tax dollars are being spent on contracts aimed at boosting City Councilmembers’ social media presence, including a newly approved $51,000-plus deal for 12th District Councilman Jermaine Jones.

The latest request before the city’s Board of Estimates this week came from Jones, who asked the board to approve a contract with Johnson Advisory Group totaling more than $51,000. The contract is intended to help develop a social media strategy and provide assistance on platforms including Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

ALSO READ | Maryland allocated more than $800 million in grants to nonprofits

Among the stated goals of the work is to “enhance the councilperson’s visibility”.

The firm would also handle Jones’ media campaigns and “build positive relationships with local media outlets to ensure accurate and impactful coverage of the Councilperson’s activities.”

During the Board of Estimates hearing, concerns were raised about whether the work should be handled by existing city staff.

“Couldn’t that service be provided by the staff that we’re already paying for?” business owner Terrence Dickson asked.

Dickson urged the board to reject the request, arguing the money could be better spent assisting residents in the 12th District.

“You see the amount of businesses closed in my district and we really have not seen any participation of the councilperson of addressing these issues in our community,” Dickson said.

“This is not a good use of taxpayer resources. $51,000 can go toward a lot of things. It can help people, it can help children, it shouldn’t be helping a councilmember with their social media account,” taxpayer advocate David Williams insisted.

Jones is not the only councilmember to seek social media help through city contracts. Last year, the city approved a $90,000 contract for 10th District Councilwoman Phylicia Porter and a $38,000 deal for 1st District Councilman Mark Parker.

This week, the Board of Estimates approved Jones’ contract without discussion.

“They are not a watchdog they are a rubber stamp and this just proves that,” Williams said. “If the Board of Estimates can’t put their [its] foot down on ridiculous spending like this. They [It] can’t address the real problems when it comes to spending.”