Gubernatorial candidate Wes Moore's campaign says outstanding $21,000 water bill paid off

BALTIMORE - The Wes Moore campaign said the candidate paid a $21,000 water bill after a report that the last water payment for his Baltimore home was more than a year and a half ago.

City records shows that the water bill at Moore's Baltimore home was $21,200.26 and the last payment of $2,000 was on March 31, 2021.

The Baltimore Brew was first to report this story and within hours of the article, Brian Jones, the spokesperson for the Democratic nominee for governor, issued a statement which said, "The Moore's have paid the current balance out of an abundance of caution while they review the accuracy of the charges."

This isn't the first time the city has dealt with high profile unpaid water bills.

In 2019, it was revealed that The Ritz Carlton apartments - on the water front of Fed Hill - hadn't gotten a water bill in over a decade after a new meter was installed. That tab was $2.3 million.

Jack Young, who was the mayor back then, said he was "outraged to learn of" the "oversight."

Citizens have also complained for years about inconsistencies with the billing systems.

WJZ contacted city officials with a list of questions including:

"What circumstances would allow  a resident to have a $21,000 delinquent water bill?"

Monica Lewis, the Senior Director of Communications in Mayor Brandon Scott's office said in a statement :

"Bills are issued monthly in Baltimore City based on the billing information provided by the Department of Public Works. Monthly billing includes current amount due and any overdue amount from prior billing cycles. DPW does not comment on individual accounts or billing status. Earlier this year, the department engaged with collection agency Promise Pay and looks forward to rolling out a collections process by the end of the calendar year."

A recent Goucher College poll says Moore is polling about 20 points ahead of his republican opponent Dan Cox.

Mileah Kromer, a political scientist  at Goucher College said 70 percent of voters are already set on a candidate and that coupled with Wes Moore's high favorability ratings may have little impact on the race.

"No campaign wants this sort of story to come out in advance of the election," said Kromer. "But the fact that [the bill] was paid almost immediately, and the campaign seems ready to move on almost immediately from it, they're going to refocus and I believe voters are most focused on issues that really affect their day to day. So when voters go to cast their ballots at the ballot box, they think about the economy, they think about public Safety."