Baltimore mayor appoints city's first chief equity officer

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In this Wednesday, April 29, 2020 photo, a surveillance camera, top right, and license plate scanners, center, are seen at an intersection in West Baltimore. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

BALTIMORE - Baltimore’s mayor has appointed the city’s first cabinet-level official tasked with advancing equity across all agencies, board and commissions.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott this week announced acting city solicitor Dana Moore will serve as chief equity officer and lead the existing Office of Equity and Civil Rights. Moore’s new responsibilities include upholding local and federal civil rights and wage laws, as well as providing oversight of the Baltimore Police Department.

"Baltimore’s legacy of inequitable policies and practices has been further exacerbated by the current public health pandemic," Scott said in a statement. "Over this term and beyond, we must be unafraid to confront our past and lay the foundation for an equitable city."

Moore is the first woman to serve as acting city solicitor. During her tenure, which began in March, Baltimore settled several lawsuits stemming from a rogue police unit that brutalized, robbed and falsely arrested residents.

She has also been involved in the city’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, helping convert the Baltimore Convention Center into a field hospital and negotiating contracts to turn hotels into respite sites.

Scott, who was sworn into office earlier this month, also announced that attorney Jim Shea will succeed Moore as city solicitor. Shea, chairman emeritus of the Venable law firm, will lead the law department and sit on the city’s spending board.

Shea tapped Scott to be his running mate during the 2018 Democratic primary for governor.