BALTIMORE — A push for government transparency is gaining momentum at Baltimore City Hall.
Councilman Mark Conway proposed a charter amendment that would strengthen the inspector general's investigative powers after months of alleged stonewalling by the mayor's office.
WATCH: Baltimore City Council seeks to expand inspector general's powers
According to Inspector General Isabel Cumming, since January the Baltimore City Solicitor, on behalf of the mayor’s office, has been making it difficult for the inspector general’s office to conduct an investigation into fraud.
This comes even after the office allegedly found evidence of the mishandling of tax dollars.
"Right now under the current structure, access to records can be dependent on the executive's approval. Oversight can be dependent on legal interpretation by the same administration that is being investigated," Conway said.
Because of the challenges the inspector general is facing, Conway introduced a charter amendment which aims to clearly define the rights the inspector general has when it comes to having access to agency records. This includes making the inspector general a custodian of records.
"But here's the issue: the inspector general has said that there may be more fraud, but she can't confirm it. Because the city has redacted more than 200 documents that she requested," Conway said.
Cumming has filed a lawsuit against the city in another attempt to increase access to these types of documents.
Monday, the inspector general spoke out about the complications her office is facing while trying to investigate fraud, waste, and abuse. She explained why it is important the office has access to all records it requests from agencies, including personnel information.
"The OIG is an oversight office that sends the complete record to the administration and then, only after following all disclosure rules, will disclose the results to the public," Cumming said.
Cumming said in all her time as the inspector general, she has never had to deal with any agencies withholding information that the office has a legal right to obtain.
"Having to request or wait for access to systems or data would create an undue burden on the Office of the Inspector General Investigations, and we are seeing that now," Cumming said.
After the charter amendment was introduced at Monday’s City Council meeting, it was sent to the Charter Review Special Committee.
Conway said he hopes this amendment will go to a public vote for people in Baltimore to decide in November.
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