Scott budget draws criticism over mayoral staff expansion, city priorities

Mayor Brandon Scott’s preliminary Fiscal Year 2027 budget would add 16 positions to the mayor’s office, pushing the staff to 134 and making City Hall larger than Governor Wes Moore’s office. That comparison has become the sharpest symbol of the fight over whether Baltimore is investing in management or in the city services residents feel every day.

Scott released the budget on April 1 and said it closes a $12 million funding gap while making what he called smart investments in youth, public safety, clean and sustainable communities, equitable economic development, responsible stewardship of resources and modernized public infrastructure. But the staffing proposal landed alongside cuts in frontline departments, including eight fewer positions in the fire department, 32 fewer in the police department and 144 positions eliminated from Public Works.

The mayor’s office already grew from 39 staffers a decade ago to 105 in 2025 and 118 this year, according to FOX45. The new proposal would continue that climb at the same time Baltimore is asking other agencies to tighten belts. Maryland’s fiscal analysis of the governor’s office budget showed a Fiscal 2026 spending plan of $24.1 million, with 83% tied to personnel costs, underscoring the scale of the comparison Scott now faces.

City Councilman Yitzy Schleifer, who chairs the Council’s Rules and Legislative Oversight Committee and sits on the Health, Environment and Technology Committee and the Ways and Means Committee, said the priorities were misplaced. He argued the money should go to city agencies that are short on equipment and to property tax relief instead of expanding the mayor’s staff.

Former Mayor Jack Young also questioned the need for more aides, saying he did not rely on special advisers and preferred to work through department heads. That critique is likely to echo through the Council as members weigh whether the budget reflects stronger management or simply a larger executive operation at City Hall.

The debate comes after Baltimore adopted its FY2026 budget on June 17, 2025, in a 13-2 vote after months of arguments over immigration, federal grant risk, federal layoffs, taxation, vacancies and energy costs. It is also unfolding as scrutiny of the mayor’s office spending has intensified. Baltimore Inspector General Isabel Cumming found $890,176 in food, catering, floral and unreconciled spending from July 2022 through November 2025, not counting another $310,785 for community events and $187,272 for giveaways and swag.