The Rawlings-Blake Review #4: Restoring Public Trust

In this week's State of the City address, I outlined my priorities for the city as we confront an historic $120 million budget deficit. The deficit presents serious challenges to all levels of city government. For my administration to be most effective in these challenging times, it is important that we have trust of the people who we represent. That is why I am making ethics reform a priority of my administration.

We owe it to the taxpayers to put in place rules to enforce a high degree of accountability from officials and agencies serving Baltimore. This accountability must begin with more transparency and stronger ethical guidelines in city government. It is with that in mind that I introduced some of the most sweeping ethics legislation in two decades to the City Council.

The bill, which is awaiting approval by committee, will increase transparency and effectiveness by expanding and strengthening the makeup of the Ethics Board. It also clarifies provisions regarding board member qualifications, removal from office and sets new reporting requirements for the Board. Specific reforms in the bill are:

Grants the President of the City Council and the Comptroller one nominee each on Board and staggers the term of all appointees,
Requires that nominees be residents of the city of Baltimore,
Allows the Ethics Board to elect its own chair to a 1-year term,
Changes term of Board members to five years,
Expands the definition of a public servant to disqualify employees or officers of the State of Maryland or any county in Maryland,
Excludes State and other County lobbyists from serving on the Board,
Requires that City board members and those serving in that capacity on similar entities who submit financial disclosure information also undergo ethics training.

This is a strong bill. In a recent editorial, the Baltimore Sun called this legislation "...an important step in the right direction and is badly needed." I urge my colleagues on the City Council to allow for a vote on this bill without added delay so we can implement these changes as soon as possible.

To further advance my goals of restoring the people's trust in city government, today I announced the appointment of Mr. David N. McClintock as the City's new Inspector General. Mr. McClintock will be charged with investigating potential fraud, waste and abuse.

Mr. McClintock was selected after a nation-wide search. Mr. McClintock is a professional investigator with over two decades of law enforcement experience with the Maryland-National Capital Park Police, where he was promoted to the rank of Captain. Most recently, he served for two years as Commander of Criminal Investigations, four years as Commander of the Office of Professional Standards and as a Staff Attorney for the agency's Office of the General Counsel. Mr. McClintock began his career as a Police Officer in the Baltimore City Police Department.

In 2006, Mr. McClintock attended the Federal Bureau of Investigations National Academy. The National Academy is an exclusive professional development course for law enforcement leaders. Mr. McClintock graduated with a degree in criminology from the University of Maryland University College. In 2001, he earned a law degree and a certificate in environmental law from the University of Maryland Law School.

The public's trust rests upon the government being openly accountable for its decisions, actions and mistakes. Today's appointment and this legislation are only the beginning. There is much more to be done to improve accountability and transparency. I believe that by creating a stronger and more independent Ethics Board, and hiring an experienced investigator as Inspector General that we are building a foundation in which the City can realize true ethics reform.