In a last-minute move, the Baltimore City Council canceled Wednesday’s highly anticipated hearing on the ongoing opioid crisis. A total of four oversight hearings were scheduled after a New York Times article called Baltimore “The Overdose Capital” of the U.S.
Mayor Brandon Scott’s office strongly disputed some of the statements in the article, especially regarding whether the city’s unprecedented overdose epidemic has been a priority for his administration.
Councilman Mark Conway, chair of the Public Safety and Government Operations Committee, addressed the opioid hearing cancellation in a statement on social media.
“I strongly believe in the duty of the council to conduct oversight on issues critical to our city, and it was in that spirit that I called today’s hearing to hear from the relevant city agencies and the Maryland Department of Health. I want to be clear: I never agreed to cancel today’s hearing and its cancelation was done against my express wishes,” Conway said in the statement. “I have sought private briefings from agencies on what the city is doing to combat this epidemic gripping our streets and robbing families of their loved ones. The response I have received is that given the pending litigation, we could not be briefed. I asked to have public health and medical experts present at today’s hearing and was similarly dissuaded from doing so.”
Mayor Brandon Scott publicly responded to Conway’s statement as “categorically false” and said a public hearing would “endanger” the litigation.
“It is clear the Councilman cares more about his personal profile than doing what is best for Baltimore,” Scott said.
The plan was to bring together several agencies, including the Health Department, Fire Department, and Police. Baltimore, like many cities across the country, continues to grapple with the devastating impacts of opioid addiction, highlighting the need for timely and effective intervention.
The City Council hearing is expected to be rescheduled for a later date.