In responding to criticism of food purchases at sports events, Mayor Brandon Scott’s chief of staff wrote: “It is important to state that these purchases of food are not extravagant perks for the mayor’s staff or unnecessary uses of taxpayer dollars” (“Baltimore mayor’s office spent $160K without required waivers, watchdog says,” Feb. 25).
John David Merrill had the audacity to further state: “They are legitimate expenses that support efficient and necessary operations of the city government.” So sending the mayor’s staff to sports events and feeding them while they are there with taxpayers’ money is critical to running the city government?
The Office of the Inspector General stated that the city has expended more then $36 million in p-card transactions since June 2022. That money could be better spent fixing schools.
This is just another example of the mayor and his staff and other city organizations enjoying the good life at the expense of city taxpayers. Can waivers make it OK? No, we don’t pay taxes to feed the mayor and his staff. Don’t we pay them enough? These are extravagant perks, no matter what anyone in City Hall may claim.
This is just another example of fraud, waste and abuse, which seems to be the trademark of this mayor’s office when dealing with taxpayers’ money. Imagine if we all had access to someone else’s money to spend as we please. Oh, the good life!
— Stas Chrzanowski, Baltimore
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