Pugh’s proposed charter changes a power grab

While creating an independent Office of the Inspector General would bring more transparency to Baltimore, some of Mayor Pugh’s charter commission’s recommendations would do the exact opposite (“Baltimore Mayor Pugh backs independent inspector general as part of city charter changes,” June 11).

As the article says, some of her proposals would have a substantive effect on the way the city awards contracts. As it stands now, all contracts above $50,000 must be publicly announced, competitively bid and formally approved by the Board of Estimates, and all deals have to be awarded to the lowest price or the highest scoring bid. With the proposed amendments, the mayor-controlled BOE could change that dollar threshold for formal bidding and could decide the winning bid in any manner it chooses. This is expressly intended to facilitate the privatization of public assets. Essentially, the mayor would be able to deal out contracts as she pleases.

This is an alarming power grab from Mayor Pugh that could easily lead to privatization of the water system. With the French company Suez Environment lobbying the mayor to privatize through a long-term lease, the proposals are especially alarming. Privatization would likely lead to higher rates, more water shutoffs, firing of union workers and reduced quality of service. Baltimore has it bad enough. Right now the Department of Public Works is run as a public agency. Privatization would make corporate profits the main goal. The council must reject this language from the charter and instead insert language to make any decision to privatize our water services more — not less — democratic.