WOKE Baltimore Mayor BUSTED SPENDING $890K on LUXURY And ALCOHOL While Residents Live in Tents!
Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott's office budget expanded nearly fivefold over a decade, from $5.2 million to $24.7 million, with staff increasing from 39 to 118 employees.
- ❖The Inspector General's review found over $100,000 in undocumented spending and $167,000 in unapproved purchases made with city purchase cards (PE cards) over three years.
- ❖Prohibited items purchased with taxpayer money included Tito's vodka and Maker's Mark whiskey, alongside $52,000 spent on food and beverages in mayoral suites at Ravens and Orioles games.
- ❖The host alleges Mayor Scott uses accusations of racism as a deflection tactic when confronted about his spending habits, including a $150,000 luxury SUV purchase.
- ❖Despite the massive budget increase and staff expansion, the city's oversight for PE card usage was severely lacking, with only one auditor responsible for thousands of transactions.
- ❖The Inspector General is actively suing City Hall to gain full access to financial documents, indicating ongoing resistance to transparency from the mayor's office.
- ❖The podcast highlights the stark contrast between the luxury spending by city officials and the visible homelessness and poverty outside City Hall.
Insights
1Mayor's Office Budget and Staff Explosion
Over a decade, the Baltimore Mayor's office budget surged from $5.2 million to $24.7 million, and staff increased from 39 to 118 employees. The host calculates this averages to approximately $200,000 per employee in salaries, questioning the justification for such growth given no apparent improvement in city outcomes.
10 years ago: 39 employees, $5.2 million budget. Today: 118 staffers, $24.7 million budget. (, , )
2Undocumented and Prohibited Spending on City Purchase Cards
An Inspector General's report revealed significant financial irregularities, including over $100,000 in undocumented spending and $167,000 in purchases made without proper approval from the city's Bureau of Procurement. Prohibited items like Tito's vodka and Maker's Mark whiskey were purchased, along with $52,000 spent on food and beverages in mayoral suites at Ravens and Orioles games.
Over $100,000 in undocumented spending (, ). $167,000 spent without proper approval out of nearly $1 million total on 4 PE cards over 3 years (). $52,000 spent on food and beverages during Orioles and Ravens games in the mayoral suite (, ). At least one transaction for Tito's vodka () and two bottles of Maker's Mark whiskey ().
3Lack of Oversight and Inspector General's Lawsuit
Despite the increased spending and staff, the city's oversight for hundreds of city-issued purchase cards and thousands of transactions was managed by only one auditor, leading to an eight-month backlog. The Inspector General's office is currently suing City Hall for access to financial documents, indicating a lack of cooperation and transparency from the mayor's office.
Just one city auditor for hundreds of cardholders and thousands of transactions (). The IG is suing City Hall over access to financial documents within the mayor's office ().
4Mayor's Deflection Tactics and Contrast with Homelessness
The host repeatedly claims Mayor Scott deflects criticism regarding his spending by accusing questioners of racism. This behavior is contrasted with the visible presence of homeless people living in tents outside City Hall, highlighting the disparity between official luxury spending and citizen needs.
Anytime this guy is questioned about his bad spending habits, he boohoo wines and cries racism (, , ). Homeless people outside the mayor's office (, ).
Bottom Line
The Mayor's office budget ballooned from $5.2 million to $24.7 million in a decade, with staff increasing from 39 to 118, while simultaneously failing to hire adequate financial oversight staff for city purchase cards, leaving thousands of transactions audited by a single person.
This suggests a potential systemic issue where resource allocation prioritizes staff expansion and discretionary spending over essential financial controls, creating an environment ripe for mismanagement and waste.
Cities could implement independent, automated financial oversight systems with mandatory, real-time reporting and public dashboards for all government purchase card transactions, reducing the burden on human auditors and increasing transparency.
The Inspector General's office is suing City Hall for access to financial documents, indicating a legal battle for transparency and accountability within the mayor's office.
This legal action suggests a significant breakdown in inter-governmental cooperation and oversight, potentially hindering investigations into alleged misuse of taxpayer funds and delaying necessary reforms.
Advocacy groups and citizens can support legislation that strengthens the independence and subpoena power of Inspector Generals, ensuring they have unimpeded access to all necessary financial records to perform their oversight duties effectively.
Lessons
- Demand greater transparency from local government officials regarding the use of public funds, especially for discretionary spending and purchase card programs.
- Support and advocate for stronger independent oversight bodies, such as Inspector Generals, ensuring they have the necessary authority and resources to audit government spending without obstruction.
- Engage with local news outlets and investigative journalists to amplify reports on potential government waste or corruption, holding officials accountable through public pressure.
Quotes
"The mayor's office has grown so large it now rivals the size of the governor's office. 10 years ago, the mayor's office operated with 39 employees and a budget of 5.2 million. Today, however, there are 118 staffers working in the office whose budget has ballooned to 24.7 million."
"One person can't be responsible for tens of thousands of transactions because they're eight months behind already. We need to have more compliance and oversight in order to protect the taxpayers's money."
"The vast majority of what waivers weren't received was actually food. It's about 295 different purchases lacked waivers that that were pretty substantial amount."
"This is what happens when you vote these people into office who've never had a damn thing, who have never, you know, started their own business or, you know, contributed to society in a positive way. They start living a luxurious life off the government."
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