title: BALTIMORE MAYOR’S STAFF JUMPING SHIP IN DROVES AS QUESTIONS ARISE ABOUT $20 MILLION ESTIMATE FOR RIOT DAMAGE
text: I guess the people who work for the Baltimore Mayor are like rats on the sinking Titanic. Maybe they figured out that it s not so smart to let rioters destroy your town and then expect the taxpayers to pick up the bloated tab. Baltimore mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is having a problem with retaining her staff. Ever since she helped bring the hammer down on six Baltimore police officers over the accidental death of Freddie Gray, four members on her Office on Criminal Justice have resigned. As in, her four highest-ranking cabinet members have each resigned, one by one, over a three-week period. That does not paint a pretty picture on what regard the Baltimore mayor is held in with her staff members. Shannon Cosgrove, deputy director of the office resigned Tuesday. Angela Johnese, director of the criminal justice office, and Heather Brantner, the mayor s Sexual Assault Response Team coordinator, left their positions in the mayor s office on May 22. LeVar Michael, who headed the office s nonviolent programs, left two weeks ago. Not one of the departed provided a reason for leaving. The Rawlings-Blake now faces even further scrutiny as it was determined that the costs incurred to the city stemming from the Baltimore riots exceed $20 million, quite a hike from the initial estimate of $9 million. So, who wants a job in the Baltimore mayor s office? VIA: BALTIMORE SUN TIMES