Catherine Pugh

Catherine Pugh
Pugh in 2017
51st Mayor of Baltimore
In office December 6, 2016 – May 2, 2019 On leave: April 2, 2019 – May 2, 2019
Preceded by	Stephanie Rawlings-Blake
Succeeded by	Jack Young
Majority Leader of the Maryland Senate
In office January 14, 2015 – December 6, 2016
Preceded by	James Robey
Succeeded by	Douglas J. J. Peters
Member of the Maryland Senate from the 40th district
In office January 10, 2007 – December 6, 2016
Preceded by	Ralph M. Hughes
Succeeded by	Barbara A. Robinson
Member of the Maryland House of Delegates from the 40th district
In office June 16, 2005 – January 10, 2007
Preceded by	Tony Fulton
Succeeded by	Shawn Z. Tarrant
Member of the Baltimore City Council from the 4th district
In office January 2000 – December 7, 2004
Preceded by	Sheila Dixon
Succeeded by	Jack Young
Personal details
Born	Catherine Elizabeth Crump (1950-03-10) March 10, 1950 (age 74) Norristown, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Phillip Pugh ​ ​ (m. 1973; div. 1975)​
Education	Morgan State University (BS, MBA)

Catherine Elizabeth Pugh (born March 10, 1950)^[1][2] is an American former politician who served as the 51st mayor of Baltimore, Maryland's largest city, from 2016 to 2019. She resigned from office amid a scandal that eventually led to criminal charges, three years in prison, and three years probation in 2020.^[3]

Pugh entered in Maryland politics in 1999, when she was elected to the Baltimore City Council. She subsequently held office in the Maryland House of Delegates and the Maryland Senate, serving as the Majority Leader from 2015 to 2016. Pugh ran for mayor of Baltimore in 2016 and won the primary against former mayor Sheila Dixon. Pugh then won the mayoral election on November 8, 2016, with 57% of the popular vote, and took office on December 6, 2016.^[4]

In 2019, Pugh was accused of involvement in a scandal over a "self-dealing" arrangement in which organizations purchased large quantities of Pugh's books in exchange for contracts with the city.^[5] On May 2, 2019, Pugh resigned as mayor amid the book scandal^[6] and on November 20, 2019, she was indicted by a grand jury on eleven counts, including tax evasion, fraud and conspiracy in connection with the book transactions.^[7] The following day she signed a plea agreement, pleading guilty to four charges of conspiracy and tax evasion.^[3][8] Pugh served two years in federal prison before being released on probation in to a Baltimore halfway house.^[9]

Early life and education

Catherine Pugh was born as Catherine Crump on March 10, 1950, in Norristown, Pennsylvania, the second of seven children born to James and Addie Crump.^[10] She was raised in Philadelphia with her seven siblings^[11][1] and graduated from Overbrook High School in 1967.^[12]

Morgan State University

Pugh attended Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland, graduating in 1973 with a Bachelor of Science. In 1977, she earned Master of Business Administration from Morgan State University. ^[13][5] She is a member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority.^[1][14]

Early career

After graduation from Morgan State, Pugh began working as a branch manager for Equitable Trust Bank.^[10] Pugh got her start in government in 1975 when she joined the administration of Mayor William Donald Schaefer as the director of the Citizen’s Involvement Program. ^[15] In 1977, Pugh began teaching Marketing and Introduction to Business at Morgan State University.^[16] In 1988, Pugh founded a public relations firm, Pugh and Company.^[17] From the mid-1980s to the early 1990s, she was an independent editor for The Baltimore Sun and dean and director of Strayer Business College in Baltimore.^[18]

In 1994, she returned to Philadelphia and became vice president of Brunson Communications and co-owner of a local Delaware Valley TV station, WGTW-TV,^[19] where she was the host of "Another View", a weekly public affairs program that focused on policy issues within the black community and featured interviews with community leaders and public officials.^[11]

Political career

Baltimore City Council

In 1999 Pugh was elected to the Baltimore City Council, where she served until 2004.^[1] She ran for president of the council in 2003 and finished the Democratic primary with 30% of the vote, but lost to Sheila Dixon who earned 54%.^[20]

During her tenure on city council, Pugh created a public art project in which fish sculptures were placed around the city and helped to found the Baltimore Marathon.^[10]

Maryland General Assembly

Pugh with Governor Hogan at the 2016 State of the State Reception

In 2005, Governor Bob Ehrlich appointed Pugh to an open seat in the Maryland House of Delegates for the 40th district, where she served from June 21, 2005, to January 10, 2007.^[21] She then won a seat in the State Senate for the same district and served there from January 10, 2007, to December 6, 2016. She ran unopposed in the 2010 and 2014 Senate elections.^[22][23] While serving, she sat on the Finance Committee and served as the State Senate Majority Leader. Pugh was the president of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators from 2015 to 2016. She was also chair of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland and the Women's Caucus of Legislators in Maryland from 2005 to 2007.^[24]

As Majority Leader, Pugh led the state on cyber security and telemedicine expansion legislation. Pugh is also responsible for diversifying the state's $40 billion pension portfolio, having led the passage of Senate Bill 606, which increased black and other minority managed dollars from $300 million to $4.2 billion.^[25] She also passed legislation allowing Baltimore City to offer $2,500 in property tax relief to public safety officers who work and own a home in Baltimore City.^[26]

In 2011 while still serving as senator for district 40, Pugh and Maryland Institute of College of Art (MICA) President Fred Lazarus founded the Baltimore Design School, the first design school in Maryland to serve middle and high school students.^[27] Pugh first ran for mayor in 2011 but lost the primary to Stephanie Rawlings-Blake after only receiving 25% of the votes.^[28]

2016 Baltimore mayoral campaign

Main article: 2016 Baltimore mayoral election

In 2015, Pugh entered the race for mayor of Baltimore and launched her campaign headquarters in the city.^[29] Initially she was an underdog to former mayor Sheila Dixon. The endorsement of Congressman Elijah Cummings in April 2016 significantly boosted her campaigning efforts.^[30] Pugh won the Democratic primary, with 37% of the vote to Dixon's 34%. The Democratic primary has long been the real contest in Baltimore, where Democrats outnumber Republicans 10-to-1, so Pugh was overwhelmingly favored in the general election.^[31] She won the November 8 general election with 57% of the vote, and resigned as state senator before taking office on December 6, 2016.^[4]

Mayor of Baltimore

Pugh succeeded Stephanie Rawlings-Blake as Baltimore's 51st mayor. As mayor, she inherited several issues from the Rawlings-Blake administration. Pugh prioritized the United States Department of Justice investigation into the Baltimore Police Department following the death of Freddie Gray, before the 2017 inauguration of Donald Trump.^[32][33] In April 2017, Judge James K. Bredar approved the consent decree signed by Pugh and former acting U.S. Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, rejecting an objection by new U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions.^[34]

Additional issues the Pugh administration faced included Baltimore's crime levels, vacant housing and revitalization development, and the cancellation of the Baltimore Red Line and launch of Governor Larry Hogan's BaltimoreLink bus system overhaul. Despite supporting it during her campaign, Pugh vetoed a bill to increase Baltimore's minimum wage to $15 per hour over five years, citing concerns about businesses moving out of the city and adverse effects on nonprofits and small businesses. Ricarra Jones, chairwoman of the Fight for $15 Baltimore Coalition, responded to the veto, "As a state senator, Mayor Pugh was a strong supporter of a livable minimum wage and explicitly promised to sign the Baltimore wage bill as mayor. Today, she has made clear that promises are made to be broken."^[35]

In July 2017, Pugh along with other city leaders announced a mandatory one-year sentence for illegal possession of a gun in many parts of Baltimore. The move was seen as an attempt to address the city's soaring violence rate.^[36] The Baltimore city council voted to amend the legislation to only apply if it was a person's second offense or if the gun was connected to an already committed crime.^[37]

During her tenure as mayor, Pugh pursued several policies in trying to reduce opioid deaths in the city. In February 2018, Pugh issued a standing order that allowed any Baltimore resident to get naloxone, the antidote that reverses an opioid overdose, without a prescription and in March, Pugh helped establish the Baltimore City Stabilization Center, the first 24/7 urgent care facility dedicated to issues of addiction and opioid use in Baltimore City.^[38]

In August 2018, Pugh ordered the removal of the Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee Monument in Wyman Park as she believed it posed a "risk to public safety".^[39] In May 2018, Pugh established a $55 million fund to boost investment in struggling city neighborhoods, financed by leasing city-owned garages called the Neighborhood Impact Investment Fund.^[40]

Healthy Holly scandal

Catherine Pugh holds a Healthy Holly book.

In 2019, Pugh was involved in a scheme in which several organizations purchased large quantities of her children books in exchange for contracts with the city. In March 2019, Pugh agreed to accept $500,000 from the University of Maryland Medical System while serving as a trustee to purchase her Healthy Holly self-published books to donate to Baltimore schoolchildren. This no-bid payment was controversial because the years of payments coincided with her tenure as head of a health committee in the Maryland State Senate and as mayor of Baltimore. She did not disclose the payments or recuse herself from votes and decisions involving the medical system. Maryland legislative leaders pledged to reform the medical center's practice of giving large contracts to trustees due to the conflict it poses to their decision-making, which includes approving a $4 million salary to the institution's CEO.^[41] Pugh received $500,000 from the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) for 100,000 copies of her books. However, the firm printing the publication confirmed it had printed only 60,000 copies.^[42]

Pugh initially said that the payments from the University of Maryland Medical System were her only book sales, but on April 1, 2019, the Baltimore Sun reported that Kaiser Permanente paid more than $100,000 for copies of the book, and a nonprofit called Associated Black Charities paid Pugh's organization nearly $80,000 for copies of the book. Both organizations do business with the city of Baltimore. Associated Black Charities in turn resold some of its copies to other organizations, including CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, another Baltimore insurer. ^[42][43]

Resignation and criminal charges

In April 2019 amid the ongoing scandal, Pugh announced she was taking an indefinite leave of absence to recover from pneumonia. On April 8, 2019, all members of the Baltimore City Council signed a memorandum calling for Pugh to resign as mayor.^[44] Pugh maintained that she intended to return to office following her leave of absence.^[45] On April 25, 2019, while Pugh was still on her leave of absence, FBI and IRS agents raided six locations, including two houses owned by Pugh, Baltimore City Hall, and a nonprofit organization on whose board Pugh served.^[46]

On May 2, 2019, Pugh resigned as Mayor of Baltimore.^[47] On November 20, 2019, she was indicted by a grand jury on 11 counts of fraud, tax evasion, and conspiracy in connection with the Healthy Holly book transactions.^[7] The following day she signed a plea agreement, admitting guilt on four counts of tax evasion and conspiracy.^[3][8]

Sentencing

On February 27, 2020, Pugh was sentenced to three years in prison to be followed by three years of probation.^[48][49] U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow ordered Pugh to pay $412,000 in restitution. Additionally, Pugh will forfeit nearly $670,000, including her Ashburton home and the remaining balance of her campaign account totaling $17,800. Pugh has also agreed that all copies of Healthy Holly in government custody will be destroyed.^[50] She was granted several extensions to delay the start of her prison sentence.^[51][52] On June 26, 2020, Pugh reported to prison at Federal Correctional Institution, Aliceville, Alabama.^[53][54] Pugh was released from prison around the beginning of January 2022 and transferred to a Baltimore halfway house.^[55]

Personal life

Pugh married her husband Phillip in 1973, and they divorced two years later; she has no children.^[16] She lives in Baltimore's Ashburton neighborhood in the Forest Park area of Northwest Baltimore City.^[13]

A runner and fitness enthusiast, Pugh has written a series of children's health books^[11] called Mind Garden: Where Thoughts Grow and Healthy Holly, which advocate exercise and healthy eating.^[56] She is also the founder of several Baltimore community programs, such as the Fish Out of Water Project, an initiative that promotes tourism in Baltimore City to raise money for arts programs for local youth^[56] and the Need to Read Campaign, a program designed to help Baltimore residents improve their reading skills.^[57]

See also

• List of mayors of Baltimore

References

1. "Baltimore City, Maryland Executive Branch: Catherine E. Pugh, Mayor (Democrat)". Maryland Manual On-Line. Maryland State Archives. December 12, 2016. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
2. "About the Mayor". Former Mayor Catherine E. Pugh. June 26, 2014.
3. Broadwater, Luke; Rector, Kevin (November 21, 2019). "Former Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh pleads guilty to conspiracy, tax evasion in 'Healthy Holly' book scheme". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
4. Fritze, John (November 9, 2016), "How does a Donald Trump administration look in Maryland? In a word, different", The Baltimore Sun, retrieved November 11, 2016
5. McFadden, David (April 1, 2019). "Baltimore mayor goes on leave as 'self-serving' book deal scandal intensifies". KMPH-TV. Associated Press. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
6. Kate Sullivan (May 2, 2019). "Mayor of Baltimore resigns amid book scandal". CNN. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
7. Broadwater, Luke; Rector, Kevin (November 20, 2019). "Former Baltimore Mayor Pugh charged with 11 counts of fraud, tax evasion in 'Healthy Holly' book scandal". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
8. Miller, Jayne (November 21, 2019). "Catherine Pugh enters guilty plea for 4 charges in indictment". WBAL-TV. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
9. Hellgren, Mike (January 26, 2022). "Former Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh Released From Prison Early". WJZ-TV. Baltimore, MD.
10. January 2017, Amy Mulvihill | (January 9, 2017). "The Lady in Waiting". Baltimore Magazine. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
11. Bell, Daryl (November 15, 2016). "From Overbrook High to Baltimore's next mayor". The Philadelphia Tribune. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
12. Bell, Daryl (November 15, 2016). "From Overbrook High to Baltimore's next mayor". The Philadelphia Tribune. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
13. Wenger, Yvonne; Broadwater, Luke (December 6, 2016). "Catherine Pugh sworn in as Baltimore's 50th mayor". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
14. Reutter, Mark; Gunts, Ed (December 12, 2015). "Catherine Pugh Opens Her Campaign Office for Mayor". Baltimore Brew. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
15. Broadwater, Luke (February 26, 2020). "From a leader during the unrest to another disgraced politician: Ex-Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh to be sentenced Thursday". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
16. Silverman, Thompson, Slutkin & White (February 14, 2020). "Pugh Defense Sentencing" (PDF).
17. "Who is Catherine Pugh?". WMAR-TV. December 6, 2016. Archived from the original on March 18, 2017. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
18. Wenger, Yvonne (March 25, 2016). "Catherine Pugh says experience and energy set her apart in mayoral race". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
19. OBrien, Robert (January 4, 2016). "State Sen. Catherine Pugh on Community Policing, Property Taxes, and Her Run for Mayor". Baltimore Fishbowl. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
20. "2003 Baltimore City Primary Election Results". elections.maryland.gov. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
21. "Maryland Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. ~ 2005 Press Release ~ Governor Ehrlich Appoints Pugh to House of Delegates". msa.maryland.gov. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
22. "2010 General Election Results". elections.maryland.gov. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
23. "2014 Election Results". elections.maryland.gov. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
24. "Catherine E. Pugh, Mayor, Baltimore, Maryland". msa.maryland.gov. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
25. Guy, Sally M.; Sprinkle Jody J.; et al. (February 2015). "Report of the Maryland Economic Development and Business Climate Commission" (PDF). Department of Legislative Services Office of Policy Analysis Annapolis, Maryland. p. 56. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 30, 2016. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
26. "Council to introduce legislation to help boost number of public safety officers living in Baltimore City | Baltimore City Council". www.baltimorecitycouncil.com. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
27. Green, Erica L. (August 26, 2013). "The Baltimore Design School — a blueprint for transformation — opens". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
28. "2011 Baltimore City Official Mayoral Primary Election Results". elections.maryland.gov. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
29. Wenger, Yvonne (December 12, 2015), "Pugh Opens Campaign Headquarters, Officially Launches Bid For Mayor", The Baltimore Sun
30. Wenger, Yvonne (April 12, 2016), "Elijah Cummings endorses Catherine Pugh for Baltimore mayor", The Baltimore Sun
31. Broadwater, Luke; Wenger, Yvonne (April 27, 2016), "Catherine Pugh defeats Sheila Dixon in Democratic primary of Baltimore mayor's race", The Baltimore Sun
32. Broadwater, Luke (December 20, 2016). "Pugh sets goal of completing DOJ police agreement before Trump takes office". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
33. Stolberg, Sheryl Gay; Williams, Timothy (January 10, 2017). "Obama Races to Overhaul Police in Baltimore and Chicago Before Trump Era". The New York Times. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
34. Victor, Daniel (April 8, 2017). "Judge Approves Consent Decree to Overhaul Baltimore Police Dept". The New York Times. p. A18. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
35. Wenger, Yvonne (March 24, 2017). "Pugh vetoes bill that would raise Baltimore minimum wage". The Baltimore Sun.
36. Broadwater, Kevin Rector, Luke. "Baltimore leaders propose mandatory sentence for illegal gun possession". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
37. Duncan, Ian (July 25, 2017). "Baltimore City Council committee guts proposal to create mandatory sentence for gun offenders". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
38. Pugh, Catherine E.; Wen, Leana S. (May 1, 2018). "Baltimore brings hospitals into the fight against opioid addiction". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
39. "One year since Baltimore's Confederate monuments were removed in the night, the issues they raised remain". Baltimore Sun. August 16, 2018. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
40. Bednar, Adam (May 2, 2018). "Baltimore mayor plans $55M neighborhood investment fund". Maryland Daily Record. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
41. Richman, Doug Donovan, Talia. "Baltimore Mayor Pugh amends financial disclosure filings amid scrutiny over book sales to UMMS hospital system". The Baltimore Sun.
42. "Kaiser Permanente, Associated Black Charities paid Baltimore Mayor Pugh almost $200K for 'Healthy Holly' books". The Baltimore Sun. 2019. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
43. Williams, Timothy (April 1, 2019). "Baltimore Mayor Announces Leave of Absence Amid Children's Book Scandal". The New York Times. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
44. Donovan, Luke Broadwater, Ian Duncan, Doug. "Baltimore City Council calls on Mayor Pugh to resign; she says she intends to return". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
45. "Council calls for Pugh to resign as Young settles in for the long haul". Baltimore Brew. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
46. Broadwater, Ian Duncan, Luke. "FBI raids Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh's City Hall office, her two houses, as governor calls on her to resign". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
47. Calvert, Scott (May 2, 2019). "Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh Resigns". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
48. Schwartzman, Paul (February 28, 2020). "Former Baltimore mayor Catherine Pugh sentenced to 3 years prison in 'Healthy Holly' case". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
49. Cole, Devan (February 27, 2020). "Ex-Baltimore mayor sentenced to 3 years in prison for role in children's book deal scandal | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
50. Fenton, Luke Broadwater, Justin (February 27, 2020). "Former Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh sentenced to 3 years for 'Healthy Holly' children's book fraud scheme". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
51. "Pugh's Request To Delay Prison Start Granted By Judge". WBAL. March 10, 2020. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
52. "Former Mayor Catherine Pugh Granted 60-Day Extension To Report To Prison". WJZ-TV. Baltimore. April 9, 2020. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
53. Baker, Nicole (June 26, 2020). "Former Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh Reports To Federal Prison In Alabama For Three-Year Sentence". WJZ-TV. Baltimore. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
54. "Former Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh reports to federal prison. What can she expect?". Baltimore Sun. June 26, 2020. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
55. "Former Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh transferred from Alabama federal prison to reentry program". Capital Gazette. January 26, 2022. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
56. "About Pugh: Giving Back to the Community". Catherine Pugh Mayor. Archived from the original on March 17, 2017. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
57. "Catherine Pugh opens her campaign office for mayor". Baltimore Brew. Retrieved October 6, 2024.

External links

• "The Transition Office of Catherine Pugh". pughforbaltimore.com. 2017. Archived from the original on October 4, 2017. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
• Appearances on C-SPAN

Maryland Senate
Preceded by James Robey	Majority Leader of the Maryland Senate 2015–2016	Succeeded by Douglas J. J. Peters
Political offices
Preceded by Stephanie Rawlings-Blake	Mayor of Baltimore 2016–2019	Succeeded by Bernard C. Young