Today on Midday, Tom Hall's guest for the hour is Isabel Mercedes Cumming, who has served as the Inspector General for the City of Baltimore for the past eight years.
IG Cumming's investigation into poor working conditions at the Department of Public Works led to major changes there; she has prompted new internal controls over the city’s payroll system in the Finance Department, and her oversight of other city agencies has uncovered — and in some cases, recovered — millions of dollars of taxpayer money that was being misspent.
Recently, the Inspector General has alleged that the administration of Mayor Brandon Scott has blocked her access to city records that she says she has always had access to in the past.
The citizen advisory board which oversees the Office of Inspector General agrees. The eleven members of that board have called on the administration to un-redact financial records the IG has sought to access, and to work more collaboratively with the IG‘s office.
Tom spoke with Mayor Scott about this when he was a guest on the show earlier this month. Today, Tom welcomes the Inspector General back to the show to share her perspective on the matter.
Isabel Mercedes Cumming joins Tom in Studio A.
