Baltimore County Council rejects Klausmeier’s pick for inspector general

Rona Kobell

The Baltimore Banner

August 4, 2025

The Baltimore County Council voted 5-2 Monday night to reject County Executive Kathy Klausmeier’s pick for a new inspector general, signaling the end of a heated debate over who should serve as the watchdog for the county of 850,000 residents.

The decision represented the first time in 11 years that the council has not confirmed a county executive’s nominee. With Klausmeier’s nomination of Khadija Walker not advancing, the county’s first inspector general, Kelly Madigan, will remain in the role.

Klausmeier said in a statement that she was disappointed by the council’s decision, but that she intended “to leave any future appointment — or reappointment — of an inspector general to the next county executive or until an independent appointment board is established by the county council and voters.“

“This means that the current inspector general will remain in a holdover role as her term expired in January of this year, and will continue in this role until either her successor qualifies or she is reappointed and confirmed,” she added. “The office will continue its work preventing waste, fraud and abuse in county government without interruption.”

Democrats Izzy Patoka and Mike Ertel joined the council’s three Republicans — Todd Crandell, Wade Kach, and David Marks — to reject Walker’s nomination. They praised Walker’s qualifications but said they believed the process was flawed and unnecessary because there was no reason to remove Madigan.

Democrats Pat Young and Julian Jones voted for Walker. Jones had always supported her, but Young said he was torn because both women were qualified and he saw his role as to vote for the nominee in front of him, not on whom he wished it would be.

The vote marked an end to what Young called an “unnecessary controversy” during the first six months of Klausmeier’s term.

The first female county executive was sworn into the role with much goodwill from her three decades of service as a state senator and delegate representing the county’s east side. But hundreds of residents attended protests, signed petitions, and took to social media to voice their displeasure with Klausmeier’s decision not to automatically reappoint Madigan.

The county has struggled with concerns about a “pay for play” culture dating back to former Vice President Spiro Agnew’s days as county executive. Both Ertel and Kach referenced past scandals in explaining why this nomination took on such significance.

Madigan, for her part, was surprised she was not reappointed; she tried for months to meet with Klausmeier to outline her successes and ask to continue, but the county executive did not respond until May — when she handed Madigan a letter stating that she would not be reappointed but could apply for her job. The county advertised the position just 48 hours later.

Madigan did apply, but Klausmeier nominated Walker after a selection process that included two panels chosen by the county executive. She did so even after several council members publicly expressed support for Madigan, who recently was named “fraud fighter of the year” by her peers.

Walker, who would have been the first Black woman to serve as inspector general, previously worked in inspector general offices but had never held the top position in an agency. She served as a program manager for nearly two decades in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of the Inspector General. She declined to comment at the hearing.

Walker is also not an attorney, and most of her experience has been in auditing. Walker’s residency in Fredericksburg, Virginia, prompted significant discussion among council members, as she did not commit in her interviews with several councilmembers to relocate to the county. The commute is close to three hours each way and includes two major city beltways.

Just before the vote, Walker spoke and clarified that she was open to moving to Baltimore County if confirmed, but that she had not talked to her family prior to the work session last week.

But the vote was never about Walker’s credentials or her residency, according to the councilmembers who spoke. It was always about Madigan, who had investigated allies of former County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr.’s administration and also uncovered millions of dollars in waste, fraud and abuse.

“She has basically been recommended to be removed, though this council has never been told why,” Marks said. “Miss Madigan deserves a second term as Inspector General.”

While all seven councilmen criticized Klausmeier’s process and the way she handled the situation, Jones said he was “deeply disappointed” in his fellow councilmembers for not confirming a qualified nominee simply because she was not their choice for the job.

“I will continue to speak out when fairness and transparency are cast aside for mob rule,” Jones said, to applause in the chamber from Walker’s supporters.

Klausmeier praised Walker’s willingness to serve the county, and said she was confident that her “many years of high-level experience, strong sense of ethics, and integrity will make an impact in her next role.”

“I am also appreciative of her poise and grace during what has become a highly politicized process through no fault of her own,” Klausmeier said.

Tom Glancy, an attorney who served on the panel that ended up strengthening Madigan’s office after Jones and Olszewski attempted to rein her in, said Walker was not the only candidate for the job who was treated unfairly. Madigan, too, had to re-apply for a job she thought was hers with little notice, and undergo intense public scrutiny as the public debated whether she would be appointed.

“It was a very good night for Kelly Madigan,” Clancy said.

Madigan was not in the chamber, but her presence was felt today. This morning she issued her office’s annual report, detailing a years’ worth of investigations into the county.