Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott has received campaign donations above the $6,000 maximum from at least nine contributors this election cycle, violating state campaign finance law.
Most of the problem donations, which amount to an extra $29,250, are the result of multiple contributions — some made in early 2023, before the mayoral campaign was underway, combined with others made more recently. Maryland operates on a four-year campaign cycle, and individual donors are allowed to give only $6,000 during that span. The current cycle began on Jan. 1, 2023, and will not end until Dec. 31, 2026. Political action committees are not bound by the same rule.
Maryland State Board of Elections officials confirmed Wednesday that donations made in excess of $6,000 during that period would be a violation.
Scott’s campaign finance reports show contributions exceeding $6,000 from a mix of donors, most of them local and many regular donors to political campaigns. Developers and real estate leaders made up much of the list. Among them was Mark Sapperstein, CEO of 28 Walker Street Development; Thibault Manekin, a partner at Seawall Development; Alan Ingraham, CEO of the Greater Baltimore Board of Realtors; Dan Bythewood, president of La Cite Development; and Mark Caplan, president and CEO of The Time Group, a real estate equity firm.
Bythewood topped the list contributing $12,000 over the course of three donations made in January 2023, October 2023 and March 2024. His New York-based La Cite has a much-criticized deal with the city to revitalize the Poppleton neighborhood. Sapperstein donated $11,000 to the mayor spread between two donations made in January 2023 and January 2024.
James Haden, a donor associated with the Baltimore Recycling Center, also gave Scott $11,000 through two contributions made in January and August 2023. Haden and others on the list are associated with organizations that themselves have made contributions as well as other principals. The Baltimore Recycling Center has given the maximum $6,000 donation to Scott this cycle as well as his opponent former Mayor Sheila Dixon. Sapperstein, too, has donated to both Dixon and Scott. Insulator Drive LLC and Refinery Canton LLC, two businesses listed at the same address as Sapperstein’s 28 Walker Street Development, also gave Scott $6,000 donations.
Scott is facing Dixon in a competitive race to win a second term in office. The Democrat has served as mayor since December 2020. The two Democrats are also running against former prosecutor Thiru Vignarajah and businessman Bob Wallace, both Democrats. The group will compete in the May 14 Democratic primary which is likely to determine the outcome of the election in highly Democratic Baltimore.
Nick Machado, Scott’s campaign spokesman, acknowledged the excess donations calling them “administrative errors” and noted that only nine were made among approximately 7,000 donations made by more than 4,800 donors.
“In total, these corrections represented less than 1% of the $1.6 million raised thus far through the cycle,” he said.
Other donors over the limit included Brandon Wylie, co-owner of florist Fleurs D’Ave, who made $10,000 in contributions to Scott through three donations made in January 2023, August 2023 and January 2024. Pennrose, a Pennsylvania-based development company, gave $8,500 via two donations made in January 2023 and January 2024.
Jeffrey Hargrave, founder and president of commercial construction firm Mahogany Inc., donated a total of $8,500 to Scott via two donations made in January 2023 and September 2023. Hargrave was also twice a guest in the city’s suite at M&T Bank Stadium last year, records obtained by The Baltimore Sun via a Public Information Act request show. Hargrave received two tickets to the Sept. 24 game against the Indianapolis Colts and he got two suite passes to the Nov. 5 game against the Seattle Seahawks.
The donations from the nine donors totaled $83,250, $29,250 more than the contributors should have been allowed to give.
Machado said the campaign has been working to reach donors to assess corrections that may need to be made to Scott’s campaign finance report. At least three refunds will be issued on Thursday, he said, while some adjustments may be handled as amendments to the report.
