Baltimore mayor says $500K book deal was ‘mistake’

BALTIMORE (AP) — Baltimore’s mayor says a lucrative arrangement to sell her self-published children’s books to a health care system was a “regrettable mistake.”
In a Thursday evening press conference, Mayor Catherine Pugh provided four pages of paperwork that she says details production of thousands of her “Healthy Holly” illustrated books and deliveries to Baltimore’s school system. Since 2011, Pugh received $500,000 selling her illustrated books to the University of Maryland Medical System
The school district has described her hard-to-find books as “unsolicited” donations. In recent days, less than 9,000 unused copies were found in a district warehouse.
Pugh also held up bibs and other baby items she says were intended to be part of her campaign to teach youngsters about health. She describes her “Healthy Holly” initiative as a “lifestyle.”