Faced with an outcry from some members of Congress, Baltimore Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke yesterday moved to limit fallout from his explanation that money used in a troubled $25.6 million public housing repair program was "only federal funds, not local tax dollars."
The mayor said he was "not trying to excuse any irregularities" by his statement, which was issued Sunday in response to the first of three Sun articles detailing problems in the no-bid program. But he said the statement, reprinted in $12,000 worth of ads paid for by the city, was "in-artfully drafted."
In a news briefing dominated by reaction to the articles, Mr. Schmoke also branded as "despicable" comments by City Council President Mary Pat Clarke that he was corrupt in allowing a quarter of the money to be awarded to friends and relatives of the mayor and of housing officials.
The mayor continued to defend the no-bid program and insisted that the city would not have to refund any of the $725,759 the federal government says the Housing Authority must repay for inflated costs.
Mr. Schmoke's comments came a day after members of key congressional committees that control the funding for Baltimore's Housing Authority said they were appalled at the waste in the no-bid repair program, and called the mayor's initial explanation of the problems "outrageous."
In several interviews, congressmen and senators -- including Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski of Maryland -- criticized the city for handing out the money without competitive bids. Taxpayers picked up the bill for inflated costs and for repairs never performed by the contractors.
Yesterday, the mayor said his initial explanation was meant as a response to critics who said the waste cited in The Sun series and a federal audit is one reason city property taxes are so high.
"In my response, I was simply trying to explain that these were federal funds for this particular program that had to be used for housing renovation or they would have gone back to the federal government and these funds had no impact on local property taxes," Mr. Schmoke said. "I obviously in-artfully drafted the letter and allowed myself to be open to a nice counterpunch.
"But it was not in any way to excuse irregularities. I'm not trying to excuse any irregularities."
Mr. Schmoke also struck back at criticism leveled at him by Mrs. Clarke, who is challenging the mayor's bid for a third term this year, saying, "There's no basis at all for her to call me corrupt."
Ms. Clarke was quoted in The Sun yesterday as saying a federal criminal probe into the no-bid program was not reaching high enough. She and several other council members, meanwhile, moved for a hearing to demand explanations from housing chief Daniel P. Henson III. "This goes to the mayor and Henson," she said. "This is corruption combined with incompetence. In both men."
Mr. Schmoke said yesterday that "Mary Pat's calling me a criminal is just outrageous and just shows how desperate she is in a campaign year that she will basically say anything that pops in her mind if she thinks it's going to help her get elected."
He added, "To call me corrupt with no basis of fact is just not only outrageous and despicable in my mind, it's untrue. And if she is suggesting that in some kind of way it's criminal and/or corrupt to award a contract to someone you know, she's got a seven-year record on the Board of Estimates of awarding and voting to award contracts to people that she's known, that have contributed to her campaign."
Ms. Clarke was making funeral arrangements for her father, who died yesterday morning, and was unavailable for comment.
Mr. Schmoke reiterated his defense of the repair program, saying, "Overall, the work was done well and people's lives were improved."
"I really am sticking by Dan Henson," he added.
As for the money the city must repay, Mr. Schmoke said, "There's always going to be disputes in these programs between federal officials and local officials."