Newsmaker - Isabel Mercedes Cumming, Baltimore City Inspector-General

Tom's Newsmaker guest today is Baltimore City's Inspector-General, Isabel Mercedes Cumming. She was appointed in 2018.  Since then, her office, which was established as an oversight authority to investigate allegations of misconduct by City employees and contractors, has grown from four to 17 employees, and the number of complaints received on the OIG hot line has increased exponentially.  The Office of Inspector-General recently released its Annual Report for 2020.   One of the most controversial of its recent investigations was a 7-month probe into travel by Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby.  When questions were raised about Mosby’s travel, much of which was paid for by entities outside of city government, Ms. Mosby requested an investigation by the OIG. The results of that investigation revealed substantial ambiguity in the rules that are explicated in the City Administrative Manual, and that led Mayor Brandon Scott to call for a study of those rules to see how they might be clarified.   Isabel Mercedes Cumming joins us on Zoom… ___________________________________ To report waste, fraud or abuse:Contact the OIG's FRAUD HOTLINE at 800-417-0430.Email us at [email protected], tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.