Tim Keane, Mayor Scott's nominee for director of the Baltimore City Department of Planning, told the Legislative Investigations Committee he would tie the city's Capital Improvement Program to a clear design vision and measurable outcomes and work closely with neighborhoods to implement those plans. "We have to be clear and precise with residents regarding the city we are building together," Keane said during his opening remarks.

Keane, who said he has led planning departments in small and large cities, told councillors that the department must both enable development and set specific measures to track progress. Asked by the chair how he would measure the return on roughly $4–5 billion in capital spending the planning department oversaw in the prior five years, Keane said the department must clarify "what is the city we're seeking to build" and then align capital investments to that vision so officials can report annually on progress.

Council members pressed Keane on community engagement and neighborhood stewardship. Council Vice President Middleton urged that the planning department "structurally really get deep into understanding every single neighborhood," while Vice Chair Glover stressed protecting long-term residents and involving seniors in planning conversations. Keane responded that engagement must be meaningful and tied to outcomes residents can influence, and cautioned against producing multiple, confusing plans that fail to lead to action.

Councilman Edward Dorsey (referred to in the hearing as Councilman Dorsey) questioned how Keane's prior role in Atlanta compared with Baltimore's director post and whether he had overseen functions like the city's CIP. Keane said his Atlanta experience included revamping a broken permitting system and aligning the CIP to a citywide design, which he described as a three-step process—concept/design, design development, and design for construction—to ensure projects deliver tangible results.

John Laria, chair of the Baltimore Planning Commission, testified in support of Keane, saying the commission ran a broad search with over 60 applicants and unanimously recommended Keane to Mayor Scott. "The planning department needs to be proactive," Laria said, recommending confirmation "without hesitation."

After public testimony, Councilman Dorsey moved to confirm Keane favorably; the motion was seconded by Council Vice President Middleton. Chair Schleifer, Vice Chair Glover, Councilman Dorsey and Council Vice President Middleton voted yes; Council member Gray was absent. The committee recorded four affirmative votes and no negatives and will move Keane's nomination to second reader at the next City Council meeting, as the chair announced.

The committee also noted that a previously scheduled nomination of Catalina Bird for the Board of Ethics had been withdrawn by the mayor earlier in the session.