The scene takes place just 20 seconds into the video, presented as a day in the life of Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh.

There’s text, but it’s somewhat superfluous since Pugh’s voice rings out sharply.

She’s being driven to an event in Druid Heights. At an intersection, she encounters a boy with a squeegee and spray bottle.

She rolls down her window:

”Why are you not in school?”

The boy, who looks like a 10 or 11-year-old, stands frozen.

“Why are you on the street? I’m the mayor. Why are you not in school? Why are you not in school?”

Young boy: “I was going to go, but I’m—“

“Get off the corner. Go to school! NOW!”

He’s shown walking quickly away, and the mayor’s car rolls on.

Media Campaign

The two-and-a-half-minute spot is the latest video in the “BTS” (“Behind the Scenes”) promotional series that Pugh’s office has been rolling out on social media lately.

It’s an effort that attracted attention last Wednesday when the Board of Estimates approved a $240-per-hour contract for media consultant Gregory Tucker to help the public better understand the mayor’s efforts on behalf of Baltimore citizens.

Another video in the BTS series featured Pugh touring schools being repaired after broken boilers and burst pipes were reported after the Christmas break.

“A behind the scenes look at Mayor Catherine Pugh’s intervention to get Baltimore City Public Schools back up and running” was the title.

The title of the video with the squeegee kid encounter is more succinct – “NOW!” – quoting her rebuke to the boy and perhaps attempting to reference the “Do it now!” mantra of a previous mayor Pugh likes to model herself after, William Donald Schaefer.

Other activities depicted in the video include Pugh attending the announcement of Community Development Block Grant awards at a community center, chiding an activist on the phone (“You-all need to come to the table!”) and speaking into the camera at City Hall about her commitment to neighborhoods. The day depicted is Thursday, January 11, text on the screen indicates.

Wrapping up the video, she declares, “Very excited about what we did today, but more excited about what we’ll do in the future.”