Posted on 10/03/25
| News Source: FOX45
Baltimore, MD - Oct. 3, 2025 - Oct Baltimore taxpayers are spending more than $160,000 for Mayor Brandon Scott’s new ride, a fully loaded 2025 Jeep Grand Wagoneer with custom security features.
The price tag raises questions about spending priorities in a city that just closed a budget deficit with new fees and fines, while residents endure crumbling infrastructure, persistent crime and rising costs of living. At a time when Baltimore residents are asked to pay more, records show Scott’s office made a purchase that watchdogs say is far from frugal.
Taxpayers shelled out $163,495 for Scott’s new SUV, according to a purchase order obtained by Spotlight on Maryland through a public records request. The vehicle itself cost $98,716, while another $64,779 went toward upgrades, including police lights, sirens and a microphone for security communication. The city redacted the line-item prices of each customization, saying that an auto shop would not typically share information with competitors or the public.
The purchase comes as Baltimore operates under a $4.6 billion budget, the largest in the city’s history, after closing an $85 million deficit earlier this year with significant increases in fees and fines while avoiding tax hikes.
At a press briefing Wednesday, Scott defended the expense. “The new vehicle is going to serve the same purpose as the old vehicle: to transport me around,” he said. “I think the residents of Baltimore will understand the governor of Maryland, the comptroller of Maryland, the county executives, we all have vehicles.”
Scott also pushed back on Spotlight on Maryland questions, saying, “I think that it’s in particular funny that you guys are only asking me. I don’t remember [former Republican Governor] Larry Hogan ever being asked about whether we should upgrade his vehicle fleet.”
To compare costs across all city officials, Spotlight on Maryland requested copies of purchase orders for multiple city-issued vehicles, including those used by State’s Attorney Ivan Bates, Police Commissioner Richard Worley, School Superintendent Dr. Sonja Santelises, and City Council President Zeke Cohen. So far, the city has only released records for the mayor and Cohen, whose 2023 Chevrolet Tahoe and upgrades totaled $78,331. A new records request is pending for all Baltimore city officials’ vehicles.
Only one City Council member responded to emails sent to all 14 members and the council president, asking if the expense was appropriate. District 11 Councilman Zac Blanchard, who represents Federal Hill and surrounding neighborhoods, wrote in a statement: “I think buying a nicer SUV with relevant safety and communications enhancements twice a decade is pretty reasonable for a large city’s top elected official.”
Meanwhile, social media posts showcasing the mayor’s customized Jeep Grand Wagoneer were taken down shortly after Spotlight on Maryland messaged the auto customization company asking about costs.
A government watchdog said Scott’s argument does not hold up.
“Spending more than $160,000 for a vehicle is not common sense,” said David Williams, president of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, a nonprofit that tracks government spending. “The mayor should be protected. The mayor should be comfortable, but you can achieve that for way less than $160,000. That’s why people get frustrated. People are asked to sacrifice with higher taxes, higher fees, but the mayor? He doesn’t sacrifice. He’s able to buy a vehicle worth more than $160,000.”
It’s common for big-city mayors to have city-issued vehicles with custom security upgrades for protection. The Grand Wagoneer replaces a 2017 Chevrolet Suburban purchased under former Mayor Catherine Pugh in 2016 for about $77,785 with customizations.
Scott first took office as mayor in December 2020. In 2023, the city bought a 2023 Ford Expedition for $99,242 as a backup vehicle. Even accounting for inflation, both the Suburban and Expedition came in several thousand dollars below the Grand Wagoneer’s total price tag.
The mayor’s office noted the Grand Wagoneer “will fulfill the same role as the previous vehicles: safely accommodate the mayor, his family, and his Executive Protection Unit (EPU).” Officials added that the city typically replaces mayoral vehicles every four years, “according to best practices for reliability and safety.”
The Grand Wagoneer purchase also appears to run counter to Scott’s climate goals. In 2023, he signed legislation requiring the city’s administrative fleet to transition to zero emissions by 2030. But the Grand Wagoneer is not electric. A local dealership confirmed the Grand Wagoneer does not meet that standard, describing it instead as a “mild hybrid” that shuts off the engine at idle. The model gets an estimated 14 miles per gallon in city driving and 20 on the highway.
When Spotlight on Maryland asked Mayor Scott how this SUV fits the 2030 plans, he said, “When the day comes that a vehicle, an electric vehicle, can meet the safety standards and the things we have to have for an executive vehicle, we will have one they don’t exist as of yet.”
Other mayors have gone greener. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, for example, is driven in a police-equipped 2022 Ford Mustang Mach-E, an all-electric SUV. That model costs between $50,000 and $55,000 before safety customizations.