Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh has written herself out of her role as the city’s chief executive, announcing her resignation Thursday after coming under intense scrutiny over the sale of books she wrote to those doing business with both the city and the state of Maryland.
Sorry. The puns are endless.
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“I am sorry for the harm I have caused to the image of the city of Baltimore and the credibility of the office of the mayor,” said Pugh via a statement read by her lawyer, Steven Silverman, the Washington Post reports. “Baltimore deserves a mayor that can move our great city forward.”
Pugh had been on a self-imposed leave of absence since April 1 not long after news broke that she had made some $800,000 in deals with various city and state contractors to buy copies of her children’s book series, Healthy Holly.
Last week, federal agents raided Pugh’s homes as well as the offices of City Hall, removing boxes of material.
Government watchdogs criticized the book sales, saying they appeared to be a conflict of interest on Pugh’s part.
Pugh, a former Maryland state lawmaker who was elected mayor in 2016, is leaving office under a cloud in a city dealing with the aftermath of the death in police custody of Freddie Gray and the protests that came about as a result.
For now, Baltimore’s City Council president, Bernard C. “Jack” Young, 64, will serve as mayor until next year’s election.
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