Baltimore County Council members, community push for inspector general’s reappointment

Natalie Jones

The Baltimore Sun

May 16, 2025

Baltimore County elected officials and residents are rallying to keep Inspector General Kelly Madigan at the helm of the county’s fraud-fighting office after County Executive Kathy Klausmeier launched an open hiring process for the role.

“I am humbled,” Madigan said Thursday afternoon. “It has been incredible. I’m deeply grateful for all of the public support by people I know and people I don’t know.”

Madigan, a former deputy state prosecutor and the first person appointed to serve as the county’s inspector general, said she was surprised Monday afternoon by a letter from Klausmeier stating the county executive would conduct an open search for the inspector general position. The six-sentence letter also encouraged her to reapply for the role — a blow for Madigan, who told The Baltimore Sun she was hoping to be reappointed to her position.

Klausmeier’s letter has been scrutinized by County Council members and the community, many of whom support Madigan continuing to serve in her role. A county spokesperson said in a statement Tuesday that Klausmeier is “following Baltimore County Code,” as Madigan’s term has expired.

Most council members have said they want her to remain inspector general.

The Office of the Inspector General, tasked with investigating waste, fraud and abuse in county government, has faced pushback and attempts to limit its independence and authority, often for doing “exactly what it was designed to do,” Councilman Pat Young, a Catonsville Democrat, said in a statement.

“Through it all, Inspector General Kelly Madigan has led with integrity, courage, and a deep commitment to the public good,” he said. “Kelly Madigan has demonstrated time and again that she is not only capable, but exactly the kind of leader we need at the helm of this office.”

In a letter sent to Klausmeier, Councilman Izzy Patoka, a Pikesville Democrat, said Madigan has the “exact acumen” needed to continue leading the office. He urged Klausmeier to suspend the open hiring process and reappoint Madigan.

County residents have also backed Madigan’s continuing in her role. An open letter urging Klausmeier to reappoint Madigan had amassed more than 200 digital signatures as of 6 p.m. Thursday.

Peta Richkus, a former Maryland Secretary of General Services and a leader of Indivisible Baltimore County, a grassroots organization, said the situation has been handled poorly.

“I was stunned,” she said. “I was embarrassed that our county executive would send such a demeaning letter to a professional person who has contributed so much to Baltimore County.”

The open letter signed by Richkus and others argues that Klausmeier’s claim that Madigan must reapply through the open search process is “not only legally unfounded but also undermines the integrity of Baltimore County’s governance.”

County ordinances state that the county executive is responsible for appointing an inspector general, who must also be confirmed by the County Council.

The county’s inspector general may not serve more than two terms, according to the county code, and “shall be subject to appointment for a second term.”

Madigan’s five-year term in office expired on Jan. 21, according to the letter. Madigan said she intends to apply for the job and will continue serving in her role until a final decision is made.

Honing in on the county code phrasing about the selection of an inspector general, Richkus argues that the word “shall” typically indicates a directive, adding that she thought it was “slippery wordsmithing” for the county to say otherwise.

In a phone interview, Councilman Wade Kach, a Timonium Republican, said he thought the law allowed the county executive to simply reappoint the person serving as inspector general with the council’s approval. Kach said he was surprised by Klausmeier’s letter, adding that his personal choice would be to have her reappoint Madigan, who has done an “outstanding job” in the role.

“Baltimore County has had a checkered past, and the position of inspector general has helped the county to rid us of some of that bad reputation,” he said.

Baltimore County Council Chair Mike Ertel, a Towson Democrat, said in a text message that he supports Madigan’s reappointment.

“The County Executive administration contends that opening the reappointment process to other interested candidates is a best practice of due diligence,” he said. “I believe Ms. Madigan has an impressive body of work and I look forward to her ultimate reappointment.”

Since her appointment in January 2020, Madigan has issued more than 30 reports, the most recent of which found that a county corrections officer obtained more than $40,000 in fraudulent paychecks from the COVID-era Paycheck Protection Program.

Councilman David Marks, an Upper Falls Republican, said Madigan has been “a force for independence and accountability.”

“If the statute needs to be changed to allow a County Executive to renominate a sitting Inspector General, then I — for one — would happily endorse that change,” he wrote in a social media post.

U.S. Rep. Johnny Olszewski, the Democratic former county executive who appointed Madigan to the office in 2020, said in a statement that an “open” Baltimore County is vital to the “long-term success” of its communities.

“Inspector General Madigan was an important part of this work and, even when we disagreed, I have always valued her efforts to identify millions in savings and help make local government more efficient and accountable for taxpayers,” he said.