Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and State’s Attorney Ivan Bates quell public feud in joint statement
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and State’s Attorney Ivan Bates publicly ended a feud in a joint statement sent Thursday night.
The duo had been trading jabs in the media this month as Bates endorsed Scott’s challenger in his reelection campaign.
According to Bates, the rift has been building over matters such as the state attorney office’s citation docket for low-level misdemeanors and his fight to change juvenile justice laws in Annapolis, both of which Bates said haven’t been fully supported by the mayor.
The two set a Wednesday meeting and on Thursday night released the statement pledging to meet on regular basis.
“Recently, we sat down for a very frank and productive conversation about Baltimore’s public safety priorities and the future of our work together. Unfortunately, our recent disagreements arose from miscommunications and misstatements that we believe can be addressed through regular meetings which will begin, next month. Our frank discussion allowed us to lay a foundation for what we believe will be a more effective partnership moving forward,” the statement said.
On April 8, Bates endorsed Sheila Dixon, a Democrat who was mayor from 2007 to 2010. Scott, who narrowly beat Dixon in 2020, also faces challenges from former prosecutor Thiru Vignarajah, businessman Bob Wallace and a bevy of lesser-known candidates. Scott, Dixon, Vignarajah and Wallace are Democrats.