Where Is Mayor Pugh? City Aides, Acting Mayor Stay Tight-Lipped As Leave Of Absence Hits Fourth Week
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — The city is now into week four with Mayor Catherine Pugh on indefinite leave, and silence is surrounding Baltimore's top offices.
Mayor Pugh's aides have gone silent on status updates, declining to comment on her health this week- as questions linger on when, or if, she plans to return to work.
Her spokesperson last spoke Friday, giving the same line that's echoed for more than three weeks, that she is recovering and plans to return to work.
Meanwhile, dominos continue to fall inside Baltimore City Hall on Tuesday, as acting Mayor Jack Young stayed tight-lipped on his recent decision to place a seventh Pugh staffer on leave of absence.
- 7th Pugh Aide Placed On Leave Amid 'Healthy Holly' Book Scandal
- Sweeping UMMS Reforms Signed Into Law As Another Pugh Aide Placed On Leave
- Online Petitions Calling For Pugh's Resignation As Several Top Mayoral Aides Placed On Leave
"I'm committed to stabilizing the city and moving forward, and any changes I need to make, I will make them," Young said.
The move heightens questions still surrounding Mayor Pugh's lucrative book deals with UMMS that coincided with her own indefinite leave as she battles pneumonia.
In an interview with WYPR on Tuesday, the acting mayor Jack Young said, "I haven't spoken to her in two and a half weeks. I haven't heard from her. I have no idea other than what I read in the paper,"
City Council members and delegates called for Pugh's resignation earlier this month.
Two online petitions also pressure Pugh to step down, including one led by state Republican Party official Tony Campbell.
Young has not said whether he thinks Mayor Pugh should resign.
The City Council passed new ethics laws Monday night, including one that deals with financial disclosures.
