About the only thing we know for sure about Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh is that we don’t trust her. We certainly didn’t know that she had her own self-published children’s book series called “Healthy Holly,” for one thing. And the Baltimore Sun has been looking into that publishing deal and finding some shady dealings.

First, let reporter Alec MacGillis introduce you to “Healthy Holly.”

Get this: Baltimore Mayor Cathy Pugh, who sits on the board of the University of Maryland Medical System, sold 20,000 copies of her children's book "Healthy Holly: Exercising is Fun" to the hospital. Her profit: $100,000. @lukebroadwater: https://t.co/XTnawYZM7b — Alec MacGillis (@AlecMacGillis) March 14, 2019

…Making her the highest earning healthy kids book author ever. — Rebekah Sanderlin (@rsanderlin) March 14, 2019

Huh.

Here it is. Only four left at Amazon. Hospital must've gotten them all. pic.twitter.com/tV0uOyV52m — Alec MacGillis (@AlecMacGillis) March 14, 2019

Not quite, but we’ll get to that.

Whoa. I previously noted here that Baktimore Mayor Catherine Pugh had sold 20,000 copies of her self-published children's book to the U of MD Medical System, on whose board she sits. Turns out it was actually 100,000 copies! At a total cost of $500,000. https://t.co/Lw7uoxe3Bf — Alec MacGillis (@AlecMacGillis) March 15, 2019

Again, just so we're clear what sort of book we're talking about: pic.twitter.com/srVhRfJe1t — Alec MacGillis (@AlecMacGillis) March 15, 2019

Maybe it’s just a really great book. But wait, there’s more!

Baltimore school system spokeswoman: Roughly 8,700 copies of Mayor Catherine Pugh's "Healthy Holly: Fruits Come in Colors Like the Rainbow" books are currently sitting in a district warehouse. pic.twitter.com/JJXv1XiDGl — Talia Richman (@TaliRichman) March 18, 2019

The U of MD Medical System bought 100K copies of the Baltimore mayor's children's books, at a cost of $500,000, while she was on the system's board. Today's latest: 8,700 of the books are sitting in the city school district warehouse. They were "unsolicited," says the district. https://t.co/NuGPAvSCdv — Alec MacGillis (@AlecMacGillis) March 19, 2019

But wait, there’s more! “Healthy Holly” is very generous with her money.

What we already knew:

The U of MD Medical System paid Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh $500K for 100K copies of her Healthy Holly children's book while Pugh was on the system's board. And now this: Pugh funneled $5K from Healthy Holly LLC into her campaign.https://t.co/GSkBWLCpFD — Alec MacGillis (@AlecMacGillis) March 19, 2019

MacGillis reports:

Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh’s book company has given $7,040 in state political contributions since 2015 — including a $5,000 gift to her own campaign. … The mayor did not return messages seeking comment about the contributions Tuesday. Pugh resigned this week from the University of Maryland Medical System’s board of directors after coming under fire for failing to fully disclose the $500,000 business relationship she had with the system, which bought 100,000 copies of her self-published children’s book series, “Healthy Holly.”

So the University of Maryland Medical System buys 100,000 copies of the mayor’s self-published book while she’s on the board of directors, and then she dips into the book sales to fund her campaign? While thousands of unsolicited copies sit in a school warehouse? Could a reporter at least see the books?

No.

New story from @BaltimoreBrew on the warehouse where the 8700 Healthy Holly books are located. Just saying … if you want to conceal evidence of a crime, a building “not set up for a lot of traffic in and out” is about as good as it gets. #mdga19 #mdpolitics pic.twitter.com/dMkZdVbUDF — Change Annapolis PAC (@AnnapolisChange) March 19, 2019

We visited the gritty Pulaski Hwy warehouse where 8,700 of @MayorPugh50's Healthy Holly books are said to be sitting. "It isn't set up for visitors," @BaltCitySchools said, turning us away. https://t.co/l1h6AEOggQ pic.twitter.com/4bZIXkf2qz — Baltimore Brew (@BaltimoreBrew) March 19, 2019

FOUND: 8,700 copies of @MayorPugh50's Healthy Holly books.

WHERE: in a @BaltCitySchools warehouse.

STILL MISSING: 71,300 books supposedly distributed to city schoolchildren as part of $500K deal between mayor and UMMS. https://t.co/JltkwJpt2g pic.twitter.com/ZyzwGnlUGz — Baltimore Brew (@BaltimoreBrew) March 18, 2019

"The 'Healthy Holly' sales inevitably raise suspicion in the public’s mind that UMMS was buying a pliant (and particularly influential) board member, that Mayor Pugh was profiting off the prestige of her office, or both."https://t.co/CtRL00GH7w — Colin Campbell (@cmcampbell6) March 19, 2019

Part of Healthy Holly’s fitness routine must include running away from scandal. — Larry Smith ? (@ljsmith3663) March 18, 2019

Find a man who looks at you the way Healthy Holly's dad looks at her mom as he reaches the bike past the psychedelic flower in the children's book that Baltimore's mayor sold 100,000 copies of for $500,000 to the medical system on whose board she sat. pic.twitter.com/a57uTcrf8F — Alec MacGillis (@AlecMacGillis) March 19, 2019

I clearly do not understand how children’s publishing works. — Laura Lippman (@LauraMLippman) March 19, 2019

It’s apparently very profitable.

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