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Acting Baltimore Mayor Young Fires Three Aides To Mayor Pugh

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Three of Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh's aides were fired earlier this week, as her leave of absence continues.

Acting Mayor Jack Young has not said why those three aides were fired, or why four others have been put on leave, while their boss is indefinitely out of office.

"We can't speak to personnel decisions, but I can tell you that I've made a decision of three people who will no longer be in the mayor's office," the acting mayor said.

Acting Mayor Young has stayed tight-lipped on why he's been shifting Pugh's staffers.

But a spokesperson confirmed to our media partner the Baltimore Sun that one of the now terminated employees Gary Brown Jr., worked in the city's lobbying office.

Mayor Pugh stood by Brown in 2017, allowing him to keep his City Hall job after he pled guilty to a campaign finance crime tied to her 2016 mayoral campaign.

Wednesday, four of her other staffers remain on paid administrative leave as she enters her 24th day out of office.

Pugh is battling an extended bout of pneumonia that coincides with the controversy surrounding her sale of children's book to the University of Maryland Medical System while serving on its board.

City Solicitor Andre Davis said the city charter does not put a cap on a mayoral leave of absence.

"The charter is utterly silent on how long a leave can last, the reasons for a leave. There's just nothing in the charter to address that," Davis said.

Acting Mayor Young has not said if he thinks Pugh should return to work, even going so far as to clarify a comment that he made on Tuesday's WYPR midday show that he would hate to see what it would look like if Pugh returned to her duties.

"What I was saying was, I would hate to see what the response would be. That's what I meant," Young said.

The last update on Mayor Pugh's condition came Friday, her spokesperson saying again, she is still recovering and plans to return to work at some point.

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