The Baltimore County inspector general reappointment is getting messy. Will an appointment board fix that?

Rona Kobell

The Baltimore Banner

July 7, 2025

Baltimore County Councilman Izzy Patoka said Monday that he will introduce legislation to amend the Baltimore County charter and establish an independent board to choose future inspectors general, instead of having the county executive choose them.

The move is an effort to rebuild trust in what Patoka said has become a “politicized” process.

Kelly Madigan became Baltimore County’s first inspector general in 2020. She’s been popular with the public for her public corruption and fraud investigations, and her peers named her “fraud fighter of the year.” Despite that, County Executive Kathy Klausmeier declined to automatically reappoint her to the role, and adopted an open process to select a new inspector general.

Klausmeier could have reappointed Madigan, who she acknowledges has done a good job, but the new county executive said she preferred to “go by the charter” and create a process. The charter, though, does not require such a process, and says the county executive can reappoint the current inspector general for up to two terms.

“This is a good government bill,” Patoka said. “It’s important that we, as elected officials, ensure that we can maintain the public trust and, if it’s not there, that we can earn the public trust.”

Patoka was clear at a news conference Monday that the board he’s proposing would not be an oversight board to supervise the inspector general or advise the county executive. The seven-person board would be responsible for choosing the inspector general, in consultation with the county’s human resources department.

Patoka developed the legislation in consultation with the appointment boards of both the Baltimore City and Howard County inspectors general as well as the Association of Inspectors General, based in New York City.

The board’s seven members would include one person appointed by each of the following: the county executive; the County Council; the ethics commission director; the Maryland Chapter of Certified Fraud Examiners; the Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants; a college or university in the county; and a historically Black college and university in the region.

The council will debate Patoka’s legislation over the next several weeks. It needs five votes to pass. If it does, the measure would be on the ballot in November 2026.

Some county residents have protested Klausmeier’s decision on Madigan and hundreds signed a petition calling for it to be reversed.

As Patoka spoke, three protesters held up signs saying “Voters spoke. Kathy ignored. We show up!” and “Whose afraid of the truth Kathy? John?”

“This process has been political, has had a total lack of transparency, and is wasting time and taxpayer money,” said Marsha Briley-Savage, who is planning a run for delegate and has been watching the process around Madigan closely. The “John” on her sign referred to former County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr., who became a congressman after six years running Baltimore County.

Olszewski maintains he supports Madigan and has had no involvement in the inspector general machinations. He could have reappointed Madigan before he left for Congress in early January, but said he did not because he wanted to leave the decision to Klausmeier.

Olszewski’s history with Madigan is not without its hiccups.

A former schoolteacher turned state delegate, Olszewski campaigned for county executive in 2018 on an anti-corruption platform and promised to create the inspector general’s office. He won by 17 votes.

In 2020, he created the office and appointed Madigan, but the following year, frustrated that her investigations were targeting powerful allies, Olszewski tried to weaken Madigan’s oversight powers. Public outcry ensued, and Olszewski instead created a panel to review Madigan’s office. Ultimately, the panel’s recommendations resulted in more funding and a stronger office.

After the County Council appointed Klausmeier, Madigan tried for months to meet with the new county executive. Emails were not returned and appointments were not set up until May 12, when Madigan finally met with Klausmeier and her chief of staff, Amanda Conn.

The Friday before the meeting, Madigan sent a letter to County Administrator D’Andrea Walker indicating she was investigating Olszewski’s uncle, Robert Olszewski, for using his county vehicle for campaign purposes for his nephew. During the meeting, the officials knew the report would be released shortly detailing the Olszewski matter.

At the end of the May 12 meeting, Klausmeier handed Madigan a letter saying she would not reappoint her automatically, but would instead conduct an open search for an inspector general.

Madigan was shocked, but dutifully reapplied for her job, along with 22 other applicants. Klausmeier established a panel to interview the candidates and make recommendations.

The panel has held one meeting already; the second was scheduled for 3 p.m. Monday. The meetings are open to the public, but only for a few minutes; they close as the panel goes into executive session.

That’s unusual in Baltimore County government, especially after Olszewski’s promises to increase transparency. The Baltimore County Council used to gavel into closed session occasionally, but they rarely do now. Town halls, council sessions and public hearings are also held in the evenings instead of midday to encourage more participation.

Klausmeier’s panel may be moot anyway. The new inspector general requires four votes. At least four councilmen have pledged that they will not support anyone except Madigan for the role. In addition to Patoka, they include Republicans Todd Crandell, Wade Kach and David Marks.

In response to Patoka’s announcement, Klausmeier’s office issued a statement saying she, too, shares the desire for “a strong and fully vetted inspector general.”

“We will review Councilman Patoka’s legislation and continue working to ensure all processes in Baltimore County remain transparent, efficient and effective.”

It is unclear how long Klausmeier’s panel will take to make its recommendation.