Baltimore mayor's office poaches top BOPA officer amid feud over MLK Day Parade
BALTIMORE -- Mayor Brandon Scott said Tuesday his office has appointed a head officer at the Baltimore Office of Promotion and Arts to oversee cultural events in the city amid a feud over leadership decisions at the quasi-governmental agency.
Tonya Miller Hall, currently the Chief Marketing and Programs Officer of BOPA, has been appointed as the Senior Advisor for Arts & Cultural Affairs in the Mayor's Office, effective immediately, the mayor said.
According to an online profile, Hall previously worked for the mayor's office from 2018 to 2020 as the Senior Director of Public Affairs and Executive Director of Charm TV.
Scott called for Donna Sawyer, the CEO of BOPA, to resign last week after the agency announced Baltimore's Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade would be canceled for the third year in a row. The agency instead encouraged residents to find a way to participate in the National Day of Service.
The agency's board of directors did not immediately remove Sawyer from the organization.
On Sunday, Scott said his office will proceed with organizing the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade without BOPA, saying there's no reason not to celebrate Dr. King with both a parade and service projects.
"Given the recent turmoil and disruption within the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, leading to instability within the arts and culture community, my unwavering support for preserving Baltimore's vibrant cultural heritage and ensuring the success of important events such as the MLK Day Parade remains unchanged," Scott said in a statement Tuesday.
"In this role, Tonya will work closely on behalf of the Mayor and City of Baltimore, with our cultural and artistic leaders to develop a fresh perspective and strategy for revitalizing our communities and harnessing Baltimore's rich artistic talent and cultural assets to enhance the quality of life for all residents," the mayor continued.
The past two years of the MLK Parade were canceled because of COVID-19 restrictions.
BOPA has come under fire for event cancellations and scheduling mishaps, moving Artscape, for instance, from the summer to September, conflicting with the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah.
Scott and city council members say they will pull funding from the Sawyer doesn't step down or isn't removed.
The mayor says anti-violence will be the main message at this year's parade as it has been in previous years. It will be held on Monday, Jan. 16 at noon, marching down MLK Jr. Blvd and Eutaw Street.