Baltimore’s chief information officer was called to City Hall this afternoon, fired and escorted out of the building, sources tell The Brew.

L. Jerome Mullen served as the $163,000-a-year director of the Mayor’s Office of Information Technology (MOIT) for the last three years.

He is the third CIO to leave city government in the last five years, starting with Rico J. Singleton’s firing, in February 2012, after allegations of misconduct at a previous job.

As of late today, Mullen’s deputy, Evette M. Munro, was acting head of the agency.

The latest firing came after issues with the city’s website and complaints by Dr. Leana Wen, commissioner of health, over poor support by MOIT for health department initiatives, a knowledgeable source told The Brew.

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FROM THE BREW ARCHIVES:

• Rico Singleton set up a job for his girlfriend – and a job interview for himself – at company that won state business, audit says (2/28/12)

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Officials at the Pugh Administration were tight-lipped about Mullen’s removal. Anthony McCarthy, the mayor’s spokesman, did not return telephone and text messages asking for comment.

UPDATE: In an email tonight, McCarthy said, “Mr. Mullen resigned. We do not discuss personnel matters.”

Mullen had a brush earlier with City Inspector Robert H. Pearre Jr., who investigated MOIT last year only to unexpectedly resign. Both Mullen and Pearre were appointed by former mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.

With a budget of about $24 million, MOIT is responsible for providing city government with networked computing systems and supporting the needs of over 13,000 employees. Included in its portfolio is the CitiStat system and the 311 call center.

Mullen was hired by MOIT’s Singleton in 2011 after working in IT operations at Enterprise Technology Parks in Baltimore. He is a U.S. Army veteran.

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TO REACH THE REPORTER: reuttermark @yahoo.com or 443-797-2914