Advertisement
Readers Respond

Mayor’s veto helps offset widespread distrust of city government | READER COMMENTARY

For The Baltimore Sun
Mayor Brandon Scott, left, and Police Commissioner Michael Harrison, right, discuss expansion of the city’s Group Violence Reduction Strategy at a Dec. 6, 2022 press conference. One week earlier, Scott vetoed legislation to reduce the number of years elected officials need to serve to become vested in the city’s pension plan from 12 to eight. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun).

Mayor Brandon Scott, left, and Police Commissioner Michael Harrison, right, discuss expansion of the city’s Group Violence Reduction Strategy at a Dec. 6, 2022 press conference. One week earlier, Scott vetoed legislation to reduce the number of years elected officials need to serve to become vested in the city’s pension plan from 12 to eight. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun). (Amy Davis/Amy Davis)

Mayor Brandon Scott has the full support of Baltimore City residents in vetoing the bill to grant pensions to city officials after two terms (”Baltimore Council President Nick Mosby chides mayor over pension veto, says he won’t lead but would support an override attempt,” Dec. 5). I believe, having never gotten paid money after leaving a job myself, that paying pensions to former politicians is not an appropriate use of city funds in any case.

I’m sure we would all pay ourselves pensions it if we got to decide what we got paid for working (and, apparently, for not working). Still, in the mayor’s letter explaining the veto, he used the phrase, “in the city’s best interest,” and that is clearly what he had in mind. Every step like this is a shift in the culture of our city.

Advertisement

Plans for personal enrichment with communal resources enrich far too few and perpetuate mistrust and a feelings of abandonment in the city. Using the city’s money to run the city well and support the most disadvantaged among us is how we help each other and ourselves.

— Megan Beller, Baltimore

Advertisement

Add your voice: Respond to this piece or other Sun content by submitting your own letter.

Advertisement