After several weeks of uncertainty about Baltimore’s embattled Mayor Catherine Pugh, she has handed in her resignation amid investigations into whether the bulk sale of her self-published children’s book was a means of looting public funds or not.
In a public statement she sent in through Steven Silverman, her attorney, she said “Sorry for the harm that I have caused to the image of the city of Baltimore and the credibility of the office of the mayor. Baltimore deserves a mayor who can move our great city forward.”
With the intensification of her resignation for a couple of days now, she made no reaction and continued staying in her three-story home where she had been for nearly one month. According to her lawyers, she had been too fragile to decide for herself but was forced to either resign or respond to the allegations by her party members.
Among those who called for her resignation is Republican Governor Larry Hogan who has also asked the state prosecutor to investigate Pugh’s self-dealing. Governor Larry Hogan alongside the state’s Democratic Party’s chairwoman believed Pugh’s decision was the right one.
According to Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, Maryland Democratic Party’s Chairwoman, Pugh’s resignation is an opportunity for Baltimore City to address all its challenges with optimism and courage.
Pugh is the third mayor of Baltimore city to face calls for resignation and has been on a self-imposed leave for a couple of weeks. Currently, Acting Mayor Bernard “Jack” Young is acting in her stead and currently attending an economic development conference with the National Organization of Black County Officials in Detroit. He doesn’t need to be sworn in before assuming full authority as a mayor of Baltimore.
