Baltimore Brew

17/12/2025

City Council President Zeke Cohen confirms Baltimore Brew reporting, telling us that weirdly-high locksmith contract was inflated by $3 million.

The Department of General Services told him:

“There was an error in the calculation,” resulting in a 340% price increase that somehow city agencies and the mayor’s and comptroller’s offices ... didn't catch. https://tinyurl.com/yse4r2hj

17/12/2025

BREAKING Despite passionate pleas from residents and
Councilwoman Odette Ramos, the Board of Estimates approves an MOU allowing Johns Hopkins to make stormwater improvements on Wyman Park Drive to include tree cutting and, during construction, shutting the road down tinyurl.com/mwsb759v [this story to be updated]

17/12/2025

City asked to approve stormwater upgrades for Johns Hopkins'
planned data science and AI buildings that will require tree cutting.

Neighborhood critics of the DSAI project have targeted two items on today's Board of Estimates agenda. https://tinyurl.com/mwsb759v

16/12/2025

Outgoing Inspector General Kelly Madigan calls for more transparency and higher standards in Baltimore County, in remarks last night before the Council.

As she heads out the door, we recap some of her investigations that ruffled feathers ... and the harsh attack from two council members that she survived.

"I think it was important for the council – and the public – to hear my concerns before I leave,” she said today.

“I don’t think there’s an appetite on the part of the council [for reform]. I asked for simple legislative fixes they could easily have done.” https://tinyurl.com/5enjrkr4

16/12/2025

BREAKING - The Baltimore Development Corporation (BDC) cancels plans to sell the Sisson Street Drop-Off Center to a private developer.

"We cancelled the RFP," Otis Rolley, BDC president and CEO, told the Task Force last night. https://tinyurl.com/muhyptuj

16/12/2025

There's actually no authority in Baltimore County law for anyone to appoint an “acting” Inspector General.

Ironically, Kelly Madigan’s resignation sets up a worst case scenario for proponents of a strong IG:

Kathy Klausmeier will appoint someone for a 4-year term [OP-ED] https://tinyurl.com/4a8jaypc

12/12/2025

Now it looks like the Baltimore Police Department parking garage - undergoing $11 million (so far) in repairs - won't reopen until 2027.

(They're going to have to update that sign 👇 that says "Completion: Spring 2025.") tinyurl.com/53cydcbu

12/12/2025

In his zeal for the zoning bills going thru his committee, Councilman Ryan Dorsey is skirting the rules and suppressing community voices, say critics . . .
. . including residents who have filed complaints with the state about his conduct of last week's hearing.

Councilman James Torrence brought those concerns into the open at last week's City Council meeting when he asked Council President Cohen to take zoning bills - starting with 25-0066 - out of Dorsey's committee and move them to the Housing and Economic Development Committee (which Torrence chairs)

“My residents have serious concerns about fairness and equity in terms of hearing their voices as well as being able to testify,” said Torrence, also noting that residents are asking for fairness “before they actually pursue actions against us in court.”
https://tinyurl.com/rd6deeav

11/12/2025

Councilman Ryan Dorsey's handling of controversial zoning bills is sparking protests.

There's an ADA complaint under review by the state about him disallowing virtual testimony.

Recently a councilman asked Zeke Cohen to stop zoning bills from going through his committee.

Councilman James Torrence said he made his request on behalf of constituents “who feel they’re not being heard.”

“People are starting not to trust the system of the legislative process."

The assertive architect of Mayor Scott’s bill package, also sitting as committee chair, he’s the lightning rod as residents in many Baltimore neighborhoods say their voices are going unheard.

11/12/2025

Back in 2022, we found these lead paint chips from Baltimore's TV tower all over the neighborhood.

The guilty plea and fine announced by Attorney General AnthonyBrown yesterday - $50,000 to be paid by the Nebraska man and his painting company after the botched job - is one thing.

But residents who filed a class action suit are looking to hold the tower's TV station owners (WBAL, WJZ and WMAR) accountable too.

One of the people who brought the civil suit, was underwhelmed by the size of the fine and terms of the criminal penalty.

“That doesn’t seem like much but. . . it’s something!”

“The language [in yesterday's press release] minimizes the outrageous volume of the chips that fell and how long they fell for,” she said. “After two years, the cleanup crew was still there five days a week.” https://tinyurl.com/y95zh8wk

11/12/2025

GUILTY - The TV tower-painting company from Nebraska that showered TV Hill with lead paint chips in 2022 . . . pleads guilty and is fined $100,000 - with $50,000 of that suspended.

Still pending: civil suits against tower owner TTI - managed by three Baltimore-area TV stations: , , and WMAR-2 News Baltimore

An underwhelming penalty, said one of the residents who filed the class action suit:

“The language in this [press] release minimizes the outrageous volume of the chips that fell and how long they fell for,” she said. “After two years, the cleanup crew was still there five days a week.”
https://tinyurl.com/y95zh8wk

10/12/2025

Councilwoman Odette Ramos complaining recently about the BDC's lack of transparency http://tinyurl.com/46ca2a73, reminds us that it's a well-worn and ultimately-left-to-fester issue.

Listen to the grousing - by Comptroller Bill Henry and others - about the agency back in 2012. https://tinyurl.com/2w65t95s