Posted on 02/22/25
| News Source: FOX45
Baltimore, MD - Feb. 22, 2025 - Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott's hiring of a new out-of-state spokesperson has a city councilman questioning the impact of city worker residency regulations.
Kamau Marshall was hired in late 2024 as the Scott administration’s director of communications, a vacancy left after long-time aid Bryan Doherty was promoted to Mayor Scott’s deputy chief of staff for communications and strategic policy.
Spotlight on Maryland verified Marshall’s position through an automatic email reply received from inquiries directed to the mayor’s office. Two members of the city’s human resources staff also confirmed the employment of the new spokesperson but requested anonymity as they are not authorized to speak to the media.
The new spokesperson has an extensive history in public relations for national Democratic elected officials. Marshall’s online LinkedIn account shows he previously worked as a senior advisor at the U.S. Department of Education during the Biden administration.
Marshall’s LinkedIn profile adds that he served as a senior advisor and spokesperson for former President Joe Biden’s reelection bid. He most recently listed a position as a senior advisor for former Vice President Kamala Harris’s unsuccessful White House race. His profile does not list his current position with Baltimore City Hall.
Spotlight on Maryland's search of the city’s website shows Marshall is not listed as a member of Mayor Scott’s executive staff. The city’s website is also void of any mention of Marshall’s hiring or employment with the mayor’s office.
Public records obtained by Spotlight on Maryland show that in late January, soon after being hired by Mayor Scott, Marshall purchased a Washington, D.C. home for $615,000. Further review of the loan documents showed that Marshall must occupy the new property, absent written consent from the lender or approved “undue hardship. "
“Borrower must occupy, establish, and use the Property as Borrower’s principal residence within 60 days after the execution of this Security Instrument and must continue to occupy the Property as Borrower’s principal residence for at least one year after the date of occupancy,” Marshall’s loan documents say.
Baltimore City Councilman Isaac ‘Yitzy’ Schleifer said Marshall’s hiring calls into question a residency mandate passed in 2018 that requires some senior city workers to live inside the city’s limits.
I think the residency requirement law that was passed years ago is not working,” Councilman Schleifer said. “We do have a lot of high-qualified people in Baltimore City, but those high-qualified people already have jobs. They’re not going to give up those jobs for a city job that would pay significantly less than they’re making.”
The councilman added that he is frustrated that several city workers have been attempting to find “creative solutions” around the residency employment regulations.
“You have a lot of people acting in an ‘acting’ capacity for a long period of time,” Councilman Schleifer said. “[A]nywhere you point, there are people who are in acting capacities because they’re not meeting the residency requirement.”
When asked about Marshall’s employment with the mayor’s office, Schleifer questioned whether the residency orders are laws, alleging agencies often circumvent them.
I really think this is a law that needs to really be taken a look at and possibly have either a partial or full repeal,” Schleifer said.
Mayor Scott cosponsored the city employee residency requirement bill in 2017 while on the city council.
Spotlight on Maryland sent multiple questions to the mayor’s office about his new spokesperson. The questions focused on Marshall’s residency, when the spokesperson was hired, his income level, and whether the administration purposely hid Marshall’s employment.
“Mr. Marshall is in compliance with his 2025 Ethics statement and annual financial disclosure requirements for CY 2024,” Marvin James, the mayor’s interim chief of staff, wrote. “The Ethics Law does not touch on residency requirements.”
James pointed Spotlight on Maryland to several statutes on residency requirements, leaving many questions submitted unanswered.