The former vice president of East Baltimore Development Inc., a city-controlled urban renewal corporation, says he was fired at the behest of Mayor Brandon Scott for supporting Sheila Dixon in the Democratic mayoral primary.

In a claims notice hand-delivered to City Hall today, Andrew C. “Andy” Freeman said he intends to file a lawsuit in U.S. District Court against the mayor “for retaliation on the basis of political expression or association in violation of the First Amendment and Article 40 of the Maryland Declaration of Rights.”

Even though Freeman was an “at will” government employee, his attorney, Tonya Baña, says he has the right under federal and state law not be dismissed for his political beliefs, including supporting or refusing to support a political candidate.

Scott, by contrast, allegedly acted with “malicious intent” in acting to deprive Freeman of his political rights.

The mayor’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

The 14-page claims notice cites a Brew article reporting that Freeman was one of four city officials fired at Scott’s direction for their support of Dixon in the May primary.

Freeman said he was abruptly dismissed in early June by the mayor’s campaign treasurer, Calvin A. Young III, whom Scott appointed chair of EBDI in March.

Minority Preference

The complaint alleges that a series of new policies and political maneuverings at the organization preceded Freeman’s firing:

• At his first meeting with staff, Young told them that all future projects on the 88-acre site near Johns Hopkins’ East Baltimore medical campus “had to be awarded to Black developers.”

• Outgoing EBDI Board Chair Jeanne Hitchcock “made such an issue” about comments attributed to Freeman in an article about the mayoral race that “Mr. Freeman felt compelled to demand that the publisher issue a retraction.”

• Freeman was promoted by EBDI President and CEO Cheryl Y. Washington two weeks before he was fired. Young vetoed a $10,000 pay increase that was to accompany the promotion, and Mayor Scott allegedly complained that EBDI staff were “not focusing on core values.”

• Days later, Freeman says he met Young in a parking lot, who pointed two fingers at his own eyes and then pointed them to Freeman in what Freeman interpreted as a menacing gesture. At the same time, Washington warned him to “be very careful [because] Calvin and other people high up” know he had supported Dixon in the primary.

“Being CEO at EBDI can mean very little. Each one operated under the authority of many stakeholders and had to follow orders or be fired”  – CEO Cheryl Washington.

• On June 7, Freeman was dismissed by Washington. The EBDI president said the firing was made against her will, texting: “I don’t even have the words to express how I’m incredibly sorry and livid I am about how things went down . . . I have never experienced this either and to have to be the messenger was just sickening to me!!”

• On June 10, Washington told Freeman: “Being CEO at EBDI can mean very little at times. I saw that with the previous CEOs. Each one operated under the authority of many stakeholders and had to follow orders or be fired.”

• On June 11, Abraham Rosenthal, a Pikesville developer, resigned from the EBDI board, citing Young’s “impulse decision” to fire Freeman without providing “any excuse or rationale.”

Tensions Rise During Primary

Reached this afternoon, Young said, “You know I cannot comment on employee matters.”

Asked to respond to the claim that only minority developers can win contracts at EBDI, Young said, “I’m not going to answer that.”

Freeman has been a close family friend of Dixon for two decades and a real estate developer for nearly 40 years, according to the claims notice.

Named EBDI’s senior director of real estate development in January 2023, Freeman said he problem solved and made a number of significant changes to stabilize the cash-strapped nonprofit.

They included “discovering” $260,000 in cash held by a bonding company and arranging to directly manage an infrastructure project, saving EBDI about $500,000 in projected consultant fees.

But as the election season approached, he says he was subjected to “threatening comments regarding his relationship with Ms. Dixon.”

EBDI’s new chair “repeatedly stated that projects had to be awarded to Black developers”  – Andrew Freeman.

He cited a winter meeting attended by state Senator Cory V. McCray (D, 45th), an EBDI board member and key supporter of Brandon Scott, who “crassly remarked” about “white guys looking at me.”

In response, McCray texted a statement to The Brew saying, “My interactions with Mr. Freeman have been minimal, as I primarily engage with Cheryl Washington. It’s unfortunate that Mr. Freeman has chosen to involve me in his accusations, but I refuse to be distracted. My commitment remains unwavering, and I am laser-focused on advancing the work of the 45th District and Baltimore.”

• Three employees flunk the mayor’s loyalty test, while a fourth gets a job with the sheriff (8/13/24)

On March 28, Hitchcock was replaced by Young, a longtime Scott friend and political ally who is co-founder and general partner at Green Street Impact Partners.

At his first meeting with staff, Freeman said that “Young repeatedly stated that EBDI’s projects had to be awarded to Black developers, even if it means using a developer from outside of Baltimore or out of state.” He said he questioned Young’s edict, which would violate state and federal law, but got no response.

Today’s claims notice  was required to be submitted to the city before a lawsuit can be filed. Attorney Baña said her client will go to federal court unless the Scott administration enters into negotiations to settle unspecified monetary and compensatory damages suffered by Freeman.