Baltimore City Council to vote on nomination of Shea as city solicitor

Jim Shea, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott’s nominee to be the city solicitor, faces a vote Monday from the City Council on his appointment.

Shea moved a step closer last week to being confirmed with a unanimous vote by the council’s Rules and Government Oversight Committee.

The former chairman emeritus of the Venable law firm and a 2018 gubernatorial candidate has been working for the city in an acting capacity since January.

If Thursday’s committee hearing was any indication, Shea has the support of much of the board. Several council members were effusive in their praise for the attorney, who is also the former chair of the University System of Maryland Board of Regents.

“I’m thrilled you’ve been appointed to be solicitor of the city. I could not think of someone better in terms of integrity, intellect and capacity,” said Democratic Councilman Eric Costello, one of seven members of the committee who voted in favor of Shea’s appointment.

Shea also had the support Thursday of former Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke, who appeared at the virtual meeting to introduce him to the committee.

“I know how important it is for the citizens to have an outstanding lawyer in that job, and Jim Shea certainly is an outstanding attorney,” Schmoke said.

Baltimore’s solicitor holds a critical position in the city’s hierarchy. The solicitor defends Baltimore in court and brings lawsuits on behalf of its residents.

The law office also controls high-dollar legal settlements, which have been numerous in recent years for Baltimore. More than a dozen lawsuits related to the Baltimore Police Department’s corrupt Gun Trace Task Force were settled during Shea’s predecessor’s tenure, at a cost of more than $13 million.

Scott took office in December and nominated Shea on Jan. 25 to replace acting City Solicitor Dana Moore. She became the city’s chief equity officer.

Shea also sits on the Board of Estimates, one of three votes controlled by the mayor on the panel, which approves all of the city’s contractual spending.

Shea has pledged to represent city government as a whole, including the council and city agencies, not just the mayor. He has also outlined goals to recruit a more diverse group of lawyers for Law Department, to partner with city policymakers to promote transparency, and to provide prompt legal advice — in plain English.

“You set the policy, but we are to enable you to do it,” he said.

Democratic Councilwoman Odette Ramos, a freshman member of the board who has had to withdraw two pieces of legislation upon receiving advice that they were not within the council’s purview, urged Shea to offer advice on alternative avenues, rather than just telling the board when something isn’t possible.

“I do hope that moving forward we can have that kind of dialogue, where there may be some alternative and not just, ‘No, you can’t do that,’ “Ramos said.

Democratic Councilman Robert Stokes told Shea he would like to see the Law Department move faster, particularly when interacting with city residents to resolve disputes where the city is at fault. Stokes cited a case where Baltimore police officers mistakenly raided a woman’s home, damaging her door. It took the city three years to pay her back, he said.

“A lot of times they seem to be not friendly to the community,” Stokes said of the Law Department.

Shea said the case cited by Stokes was “not acceptable,” and urged council members to flag such issues for him.

Shea became known statewide during his run for the Democratic nomination for governor — a bid in which he tapped Scott as his running mate. Their campaign fizzled amid a field of better-known candidates.

Shea is best known within the legal community after leading Maryland’s largest law firm for decades.

As chair of the university system’s regents, he oversaw Maryland’s public colleges and universities. He said Thursday that that role prepared him to offer legal advice to different branches of government, as he does in Baltimore.

The solicitor’s salary is set by the city charter at $188,000.

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