Home | BaltimoreBrew.com
The Dripby Brew Editors4:48 pmJul 26, 20210

Former City Council liaison Betsy Gardner pleads guilty to perjury

Gardner, a liaison for then-council president Jack Young, failed to disclose over $15,000 in payments from community organizations, State Prosecutor Charlton T. Howard III said

Above: Baltimore City Hall to reopen next month. (Mark Reutter)

Elizabeth “Betsy” Gardner, a former community liaison for then-Council President Bernard C. “Jack” Young, who was accused of failing to report payments from community groups, has pleaded guilty to one count of perjury.

According to an announcement today by State Prosecutor Charlton T. Howard III, Gardner received over $15,000 in payments from a community organization from 2014 through 2017 that she failed to disclose on her required city financial disclosure forms.

Gardner received approximately $15,000 dollars from the Mt. Washington Merchant’s Association, an organization she was assigned to work with in her professional capacity as liaison, according to a statement of facts released by Howard’s office.

“Over time, Ms. Gardner was retained by the organization for the purpose of event planning and received other gifts/payments from the organization,” the statement said.

In 2016, Gardner ran for the District 5 City Council seat, losing to Isaac “Yitzy” Schleifer in the Democratic Party primary.

According to a candidate profile published in the Baltimore Jewish Times, Gardner moved to Baltimore from her native Charleston, W.Va., and began working as a Council liaison in the early 2000s.

Before going to work for the city, she held positions at H&S Bakery, Alex. Brown & Sons and The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore.

Gardner was sentenced by Baltimore Circuit Court Judge Melissa M. Phinn to probation before judgment, with three years’ unsupervised probation.

“Government officials are required to file truthful and accurate financial disclosure forms to ensure transparency and identify any potential conflicts of interest,” the announcement quoted Howard as saying. “Our office will continue to hold accountable any public official who abuses the public trust.”

Most Popular