Baltimore County Inspector General Kelly Madigan advised she won’t be reappointed

Rona Kobell

The Baltimore Banner

May 13, 2025

Baltimore County Inspector General Kelly Madigan was putting the finishing touches on her most recent fraud investigation Monday when, she says, she learned she might be out of a job.

At the end of a meeting with County Executive Kathy Klausmeier to tout her office’s successes, Klausmeier’s staff handed her a letter indicating that the executive would not reappoint Madigan to the post. Instead, the letter said, the county would advertise the position Wednesday. While Madigan was welcome to apply for it, the letter said, the county would conduct an “open search.”

Madigan completed her first five-year term in January. She had been hoping Klausmeier would appoint her to a second, four-year term. Madigan said she had no reason to believe otherwise. The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners’ Maryland chapter named her “fraud fighter of the year” just last month. Last year, her office completed more than two dozen reports outlining waste, fraud and abuse in the county. Several County Council members have expressed support for her work.

“I love the job,” Madigan said. “Of course I want to stay and finish it out. I want to give Baltimore County four more years of my hard work.”

Klausmeier, a former state senator who was appointed to the county executive position to fill the last two years of Johnny Olszewski’s term after he was elected to Congress last year, has the sole discretion over filling the inspector general position. She could have re-appointed Madigan to another term.

This week is not the first time that county politicians have tried to clip her wings. In 2021, Olszewski tried to create an oversight board to rein in some of Madigan’s investigatory powers. The bill to do that, which Councilman Julian Jones introduced at Olszewski’s request, also would have kneecapped her ability to subpoena information and restricted her only to public disclosures. Jones had been the target of one of Madigan’s investigations; he committed $69,000 in county resources to pave an alley outside his district, which the county would not have done but for his insistence.

The public revolted at the attempts to curb Madigan’s powers, showing up in force to council meetings to praise Madigan’s work and the office’s accomplishments. The episode resulted in a stronger IG office, with more staff and a larger budget. A blue-ribbon panel also recommended her office be enshrined in the chapter, and the voters approved that change by a wide margin last year.

Baltimore City Inspector General Isabel Cumming called Klausmeier’s decision “shameful.” The rules are clear that the county executive could have easily reappointed her, Cumming said, and Madigan is regarded in the industry as excellent at her job.

“She’s had to do cases involving the county executive, and the council. And to get her job, Kathy Klausmeier needed to be approved by the council,” Cumming said.