Baltimore County executive nominates new inspector general, rejects Madigan

Natalie Jones

The Baltimore Sun

July 24, 2025

After months of debate over how to fill Baltimore County’s inspector general post, County Executive Kathy Klausmeier has appointed Khadija Walker, a former federal auditor, bypassing incumbent Kelly Madigan for the role.

Walker was selected for the role after a final round of interviews last week, which included Madigan, the county’s inaugural inspector general, and an unidentified second candidate. Walker’s previous roles have included deputy assistant inspector general for the U.S. Agency for International Development and auditor for the Environmental Protection Agency.

“Baltimore County residents deserve an independent Inspector General to elevate the work of this office and put an end to waste, fraud, and abuse in our local government,” Walker said in a statement. “I am confident that my federal experience will help this office continue to eliminate corruption and enhance public trust and accountability on behalf of all residents.”

The decision may not satisfy the residents, elected officials and good governance groups who have raised concerns from the start about the county executive’s handling of the inspector general search.

A majority of County Council members also have said they would prefer to keep Madigan on the job — a potential roadblock to Walker’s appointment, as the council ultimately must approve any inspector general hire.

Madigan declined to comment Thursday.

Walker would bring over two decades of experience as an inspector general to Baltimore County. In previous roles, she led performance audits of environmental programs, including the EPA’s response to Hurricanes Katrina and Irma, according to Baltimore County officials. Her work has also looked at the federal responsibility behind water crises in Flint, Michigan and Jackson, Mississippi, they added.

In a statement, Klausmeier said Walker was the most qualified candidate to lead the office.

“Khadija has 22+ years of high-level Inspector General experience — notably in her work to hold the federal government accountable in the wake of the Flint, Michigan and Jackson, Mississippi water crises — which has prepared her to be a champion for communities and unafraid to challenge waste, fraud, and abuse at any level,” she said.

However, Walker’s stamp of approval from the County Council remains in question.

Councilman David Marks, an Upper Falls Republican, said early Thursday afternoon that he would only support Madigan’s nomination. And in an interview on Tuesday, Councilman Izzy Patoka, a Pikesville Democrat, reaffirmed that he would support Madigan’s nomination.

After being notified of Walker’s selection, Marks told The Baltimore Sun that his position on the appointment had not changed.

Patoka, reached not long after he was informed of the selection, acknowledged that he wasn’t fully familiar with Walker’s background at the time, but raised concerns about a potentially steep learning curve for her in switching from federal service to local government, adding that he was “anxious” to learn more. He also nodded to Madigan, saying he thought she had done an “outstanding job.”

The council is expected to discuss Klausmeier’s appointment of Walker at a 4 p.m. Tuesday work session in Towson. A vote is expected at an upcoming legislative session.

Some area residents had planned to rally at 3 p.m. Tuesday ahead of the work session to demand Madigan’s reappointment and denounce what they said was Klausmeier’s mishandling of the process.

Questions started flying not long after Klausmeier gave Madigan a letter stating that she would conduct an open search for the role. However, she encouraged Madigan to reapply if she wanted to remain with the county government.

The six-sentence letter came during the first meeting between the two, a meeting that Madigan said she had requested for months. The result has been a public outcry about the process and questions about political influence in the selection.

Under county code, the county executive is responsible for appointing an inspector general, subject to confirmation by the council. Klausmeier has maintained since the start that the county code gave her the authority to conduct the search.

The Association of Inspectors General, a national group for government watchdogs, said in an open letter Monday that the county administration “departed” from county ordinances by launching an open search and, at the same time, inviting Madigan to reapply.

As part of the search, Klausmeier formed a five-person inspector general selection panel to review resumes, interview applicants and make recommendations. The panel, which first convened in late June, narrowed the field from the initial 23 applicants, conducting four interviews for the role. Three candidates advanced to a final round of interviews.

Attorney Dennis King, who chaired the selection panel, said in a statement that he stood behind Klausmeier’s selection.

Critics, however, have taken issue with how the final round of interviews was conducted. Klausmeier participated in the interviews last week, fueling concerns about a conflict of interest.

“It’s incredibly disappointing that County Executive Klausmeier refused to reappoint Madigan, a respected leader in our community. This entire process was politicized and lacked transparency, and it has destroyed public trust in the Inspector General’s office” said Joanne Antoine, executive director of advocacy group Common Cause Maryland.

“Baltimore County residents deserve a truly independent watchdog, and this chaotic nomination process cannot be the norm. We need structural reform now to reaffirm the independence of the Inspector General, and we need the County Council to uphold constituents’ desire to keep Madigan in the role.”

Arthur Elkins, a member of the five-person selection panel, and Mandee Heinl, a member of the Baltimore County Ethics Commission, joined Klausmeier in the final round of interviews. The rest of the five-member selection panel did not participate in those conversations.

Elkins, a former inspector general for the EPA and the first inspector general for the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, was not present during the panel’s first round of interviews due to scheduling conflicts, according to Klausmeier’s spokeswoman. However, he was pulled into the final interviews because Klausmeier wanted his “expertise and input.”

The county administration “appears to treat the selection of an Inspector General as substantially similar to the appointment of other senior staff who are charged to advance the agenda (including the political agenda) of the County Executive,” Will Fletcher, president of the Association of Inspectors General, wrote in the open letter.

Controversy about the process has also ignited calls for reform. Earlier this month, Patoka introduced a charter amendment to create an independent board to appoint and reappoint the county’s inspector general to remove political influence from the process in the future.

On Thursday afternoon, he said he introduced the measure to ensure a transparent process that is not influenced by politics. That legislation is also expected to be discussed at Tuesday’s council work session.