The city agency that oversees Baltimore development has received a subpoena from the Maryland state prosecutor's office, which has been conducting an investigation into spending practices at City Hall.
The Baltimore Development Corp., an arm of city government that brokers land deals on behalf of Mayor Sheila Dixon's administration, has been ordered to hand over documents by the end of next month, a top city lawyer told The Sun yesterday.
City officials would not disclose the contents of the subpoena, but it was issued days before prosecutors raided the offices of a prominent development firm, Doracon Contracting Inc., in what appears to be a widening investigation into city government spending.
Though it's not clear specifically which contracts or projects are being targeted, documents show the Baltimore Development Corp. lobbied the City Council to approve subsidies for an East Baltimore housing development project that was led by Doracon. In 2003, Dixon acknowledged that she also had "twisted some arms" to move that project along.
The subpoena, issued in Baltimore Circuit Court, is the first served on City Hall by the state prosecutor in months. In March 2006, the state prosecutor issued subpoenas that produced nearly 27,000 pages of documents from various city agencies and private companies.
"We got it," Baltimore Solicitor George Nilson said of the subpoena, "and we will comply with it."
Nilson said he was unsure when the development agency received the subpoena - it was issued last week, close to the Thanksgiving holiday - but said the agency had until Dec. 21 to provide the documents.
Meanwhile yesterday, an attorney for Dixon said state prosecutors have also sought information through a subpoena on a rental house she owns in the city.
Baltimore Development Corp. is a nonprofit that holds a contract with the city to craft long-term development strategies and to negotiate with private companies on its behalf. In part because the entity's board is appointed by the mayor, the Maryland Court of Appeals ruled last year that the BDC is a public body.
The agency has negotiated some of the city's most significant development deals, including the convention center hotel that is under construction downtown. It is also overseeing the more recent effort to build a new venue to replace the 45-year-old 1st Mariner Arena.
