Given the back-and-forth bickering in the press, the accusations of political gamesmanship, the threat of “street hearings” and the repeated flexing of political muscle to get public hearings canceled, it was perhaps a bit of a surprise to see Mayor Brandon Scott and City Councilmember Mark Conway together, smiling, outside the mayor’s beloved Koco’s Pub on Tuesday night.

For eight months, the public relationship between Scott and Conway had been strained, if not nonexistent. They had fought repeatedly over how the city should address its opioids crisis, specifically over whether Conway should hold public hearings on the issue before a massive lawsuit against drug companies has finished its course.

Scott intervened twice, persuading two different City Council presidents to block the hearings.

Then there was the debacle over Conway’s bill to require firefighters and medics to carry buprenorphine, a drug that helps treat the symptoms of opioid withdrawal. Scott’s administration has been working behind the scenes to expand buprenorphine access — the state regulates who can administer it — but found Conway’s bill shortsighted and irresponsible.

Most recently it was Marvin James, Scott’s outgoing chief of staff, who posted a staged photo of himself staring at a mostly blank whiteboard in City Hall. The board named Scott’s second-term priorities, and “opiods” and “District 4,” Conway’s council district, were on it.

But all may be water under the bridge after the great crab cake summit of 2025. Council President Zeke Cohen posted the photo of Scott, Conway and himself Tuesday evening to social media, writing: “I feel blessed to serve with leaders who love our city unconditionally. In this moment of national discord, Baltimore will not be divided.”

None of the three wanted to divulge what was discussed over their 11 ounces of jumbo lump, but they described the meeting as positive and productive.

“It was good to have an opportunity to talk directly with the mayor and not necessarily talk through other people,” Conway said in a phone interview. “Things get lost in translation; things can kind of get lost in a game of telephone.”

He added that the meeting served as a sort of “reset” for him. A senior official in the Scott administration who was briefed about the bread-breaking but wasn’t authorized to speak publicly about it said the sentiment was similar.

“As you’ve seen through a number of public disagreements we’ve had with others, we’re always willing to set what amounts to political gamesmanship aside, focus on what needs to be focused on and move forward,” the official said. “But, when we have something to say, we’re going to say it.”

As President Donald Trump’s agenda continues to sow chaos in the federal government, city leaders have looked to band together.

That doesn’t mean everyone will agree on everything — Conway’s and Scott’s teams are expected to renew conversation around the buprenorphine bill, but an agreement on legislation is not guaranteed — only that both sides hope discord can be handled in house.