Baltimore County inspector general controversy leads to calls for reform
Natalie Jones
The Baltimore Sun
June 9, 2025
The Baltimore County office that’s supposed to root out government waste, fraud and abuse once again finds itself facing questions about its political independence. That’s leading some to call for reform.
In mid-May, County Executive Kathy Klausmeier handed Inspector General Kelly Madigan a letter telling her that she would conduct an open search for the inspector general position, but encouraged Madigan to reapply for the role.
That six-sentence letter, delivered at the first meeting between the two since Klausmeier took office in January, has sparked outcry among county residents and most Baltimore County Council members, who have rallied behind Madigan and urged Klausmeier to reappoint her to her position.
It’s also highlighted the fact that similar posts in Maryland are overseen by independent panels, not the politicians they are supposed to monitor.
Baltimore City has such an arrangement. Howard County’s first inspector general will be selected by an independent advisory board composed of residents nominated by elected officials. Montgomery County’s inspector general, however, is appointed by its county council after a panel of council-nominated residents submits recommendations for the role.
Councilman Izzy Patoka, a Pikesville Democrat, told The Baltimore Sun he plans to introduce a charter amendment in July to create an independent body to appoint an inspector general and “take the politics” out of the selection.
“There’s so much energy that’s being spent around the current situation with the inspector general that I think that we’re better off focusing on other things that need to be done in Baltimore County,” he said. “I believe that it also puts the inspector general in a better position to do her job, in terms of ongoing investigations that might be underway.”
Under current laws, the county executive is responsible for appointing an inspector general, who the County Council must also confirm. The county’s inspector general can only serve two terms, according to the county code, and “shall be subject to appointment for a second term.”
The use of the word “shall” has been a particular sticking point for both Madigan and those who back her reappointment. Some interpret that to mean that she must be reappointed. Klausmeier, meanwhile, has been firm that she’s within her authority to conduct a search process under the code.
Baltimore City Inspector General Isabel Mercedes Cumming thinks taking the politics out of Baltimore County’s selection process “makes perfect sense.”
“Some people say, ‘Well, who’s watching the watchdog?’” she said. “Well, in order to become a certified inspector general, we have peer reviews where we have other inspectors general offices coming in and evaluating what we’re doing — there are checks and balances.”
Baltimore’s inspector general is appointed by an 11-member advisory board made up of seven city residents nominated by city council members, as well as the deans of Baltimore’s two law schools or their designees, one member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners and one member of the Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants.
“Any process that would allow local elected officials to have increased influence over the appointment of the Inspector General, the very person responsible for holding them accountable, is a major conflict of interest,” Joanne Antoine, executive director of Common Cause Maryland, said in a statement.
The good governance organization has joined the chorus urging Klausmeier to reappoint Madigan and has said it would support legislation allowing an independent board to oversee the appointment process for future Baltimore County inspectors general.
Patoka said his legislation would be “generally” modeled after Baltimore’s board.
Madigan said she would support Patoka’s bill, saying she testified on a similar bill in Howard County last year as its council established an inspector general’s office.
If an inspector general isn’t independent, then there isn’t an inspector general, Madigan said.
“They provide oversight of the executive branch of government and the legislative branch of government,” she said. “You cannot have effective oversight if the person is tied to one of those branches, if the person is reporting to someone, if the person doesn’t have the freedom to call balls and strikes.”
Klausmeier said in a letter Friday that she believes Baltimore County residents “deserve effective, efficient, honest and open government.”
“In my short time in this job, I hope – if nothing else – that will be an important part of how people remember me,” she said. “And that is why finding the right person for the job of Baltimore County’s Inspector General is so important to me.”
But, for now, nothing can change the process that’s already underway.
The county’s inspector general job posting closed Wednesday. Twenty-three people applied for the role.
And on Friday, Klausmeier announced an Inspector General Panel Selection Committee tasked with reviewing resumes, interviewing applicants and making recommendations to the county executive.
The five-member panel includes two former inspectors general — Rev. William Johnson, who served as the inspector general for the Maryland Department of Human Services and chair of the Baltimore County Blue Ribbon Commission on Ethics and Accountability, and Arthur Elkins, who was inspector general for the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the first inspector general for the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, as well as two judges and a private practice attorney.
“The purpose and role of the Office [of the Inspector General], much like the role of the County Executive, members of the County Council, or even department heads, should transcend whomever may hold the position,” Klausmeier said in a statement. “As part of a thorough process, I am confident that the most qualified candidate will emerge and act as a watchdog to help ensure accountability, transparency and integrity within our government.”