Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and State’s Attorney Ivan Bates quell public feud in joint statement

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and State’s Attorney Ivan Bates have agreed to try to iron out their differences following a private meeting between the two, according to a joint statement issued Thursday night.

The pair had been trading jabs in the media this month amid a ramping up of the city’s mayoral campaign. Bates went public with the spat shortly before endorsing Scott’s challenger, former Mayor Sheila Dixon.

According to Bates, the rift between he and Scott has been building over matters such as the citation docket — an effort by the state’s attorney’s office to prosecute low-level misdemeanors — and his fight to change juvenile justice laws in Annapolis. Bates said Scott hasn’t been fully supportive of either effort. Scott has publicly disagreed, accusing Bates of playing “political games.”

The two met Wednesday afternoon on neutral territory — Baltimore attorney Billy Murphy’s downtown office. The pair said nothing about the meeting for more than 24 hours, but broke their silence late Thursday with a joint statement.

“Recently, we sat down for a very frank and productive conversation about Baltimore’s public safety priorities and the future of our work together. Unfortunately, our recent disagreements arose from miscommunications and misstatements that we believe can be addressed through regular meetings which will begin, next month. Our frank discussion allowed us to lay a foundation for what we believe will be a more effective partnership moving forward,” the statement said.

Scott’s spokesman Bryan Doherty said Friday the mayor would not be commenting further on the meeting. Bates’ spokesman James Bentley said the state’s attorney had nothing to add.

On April 4, Bates spoke to The Baltimore Sun about what he said were “philosophical differences” between he and Scott when it comes to fighting crime. The two had butted heads the day prior when Scott shared details of a law enforcement “takedown” of 20 young people accused of a carjacking and robbery spree last fall. The mayor discussed the police investigation with media at a morning briefing before a separate news conference held by Bates that afternoon.

Bates likened the mayor’s actions to the person who didn’t do work for a group project but “puts their name on it and says they did it.”

“I need a partner,” he said at the time.

Bates told The Sun on April 4 he didn’t know whether he would endorse anyone in the mayoral race, but on April 8 he announced his support for Dixon at her Station North campaign headquarters. A “special endorsement announcement” for that date was teased in an email to Dixon supporters on March 31. On April 9, Dixon began airing a campaign ad featuring Bates where he says he needs a “stronger partner in City Hall.”

Dixon, Baltimore’s mayor from 2007 to 2010, is embroiled in a rematch against Scott. Scott narrowly beat Dixon in 2020. He also faces challenges from former prosecutor Thiru Vignarajah, businessman Bob Wallace and a bevy of lesser-known candidates. Scott, Dixon, Vignarajah and Wallace are Democrats.

A recent poll conducted for The Sun, the University of Baltimore and FOX45 showed the mayor’s race remains close, with Scott and Dixon leading the pack. Of the likely primary voters surveyed, 38% said they would support Scott, while 35% backed Dixon. Just 10% favored Vignarajah, while Wallace trailed with 4%.